John Kunkel tells me about the time when a young prospective employee sent a video of herself surrounded with 50 eggs, along with a resume. He roars with laughter, “I’ve never eaten 50 eggs at once.” The restaurateur is the founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, which owns and operates several hospitality brands, including Yardbird and Wakuda.
The company is named after a famous scene in the 1967 classic prison film Cool Hand Luke. Paul Newman plays the eponymous character who brags about being able to consume 50 hard-boiled eggs in an hour. The rest of the prisoners take up the bet. Naturally, Luke does it, with some Hollywood editing magic.
Kunkel loves the scene, and not because he’s obsessed with eggs. It shows how you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. He started as a dishwasher when he was 15. It was long hours and back-breaking work, but the Miami native thrived in the chaos. “You must operate within a tornado, which is overwhelming to some people who might like calm and consistency. I loved the energy and the camaraderie, and I was surrounded by people with the same spark,” says Kunkel.
He admits that he never planned on having a career in the restaurant business. Then, he was roped in to create one. “I took part in the creative process. It wasn’t only the culinary aspect, but the design and construction, too. I thought about the little customer touch points and the parts that made the dining experience enjoyable. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Kunkel’s first venture was Taste Bakery Café in Miami Beach, which opened just two days before the fateful September 11 terrorist attacks. The repercussions meant he had to let people go. Every day, he baked bread and made sandwiches from 4am to midnight. “The lack of sleep probably took five years off my life!” he laughs. His motto: win over one customer at a time.
Twenty-two years, six restaurant brands, and several cities later, that ethos hasn’t changed. “You’re only as good as the night before, when you made your customers happy. I don’t take any of the people who come to eat at our restaurants for granted. When you get comfortable, it’s dangerous because that means you’re not staying relevant.”
That’s why opening the James Beard-nominated Yardbird in Singapore back in 2017 was exciting for him. “We took a culinary idea that wasn’t really represented in Singapore, land of some of the best restaurants in the world, and had to figure out how to cater it to a different taste, culture, and language. I loved the challenge. It was incredibly exciting,” says Kunkel.
Yardbird’s success in Marina Bay Sands encouraged Kunkel to open Wakuda. A collaboration between him and Michelin-starred chef Tetsuya Wakuda, the Japanese restaurant opened in 2022 at the hotel lobby and it has been pulling in customers and garnering rave reviews.
He recognises the global slowdown happening now. Kunkel understands that most people will cut back on their discretionary expenses as inflation remains sticky despite rising rates. He combats lower spends in several ways. “Firstly, we make sure there is always a value proposition on the menu. If somebody is more cost-conscious, there’s still something to eat within our restaurants. Secondly, we’ve become more conservative with our overall structure, so that we don’t have bloat,” he says.
The back-to-back restaurant openings have slowed down and Kunkel is frankly slightly relieved. This gives him time to review the current outlets to ensure they are still functioning effectively and being supported properly, so they can perform at their best.
But he’s raring to get back in the saddle. He believes Singapore is ready for Chica, his Mexican concept which has outlets in Miami, Las Vegas, and Aspen. There’s no timeline yet, or even concrete plans, but Kunkel is already excited to potentially open the first outlet, whether at Marina Bay Sands or somewhere else. It’s just one of the many conversations he’s been having.
There are also talks to expand Yardbird in the region and bring the Wakuda brand to even more cities.
Kunkel is in the eye of the storm, but there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
