Teamwork Makes Hospitality HQ Work.
Helmed by award-winning chef, restaurateur, TV personality and cookbook author Akhtar Nawab, Hospitality HQ’s dynamic and comprehensive team prioritizes high-quality service at all levels, producing systems for food and beverage concepts which consistently optimize the guest experience.
The breadth of Hospitality HQ’s portfolio ranges from food hall development and management, to Michelin-awarded restaurants, hotel operations, banquet and catering operations, and fast-casual concepts. HHQ is currently the fastest-growing food hall management company in the country, with critically-acclaimed restaurant and communal dining projects located nationwide.
Chef Akhtar Nawab
Co-CEO
Akhtar Nawab is an acclaimed chef and the founding partner CEO of Hospitality HQ (HHQ LLC), a creative consulting and management group which offers bespoke solutions for culinary-driven concepts across the country.
The son of Indian immigrants, Nawab grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He spent a lot of time in the kitchen with his mother, a native of Lucknow, a city in Northern India famous for kebabs, biryani, and korma. A passion for cooking, born in his small Kentucky kitchen, led him to an esteemed career at some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country: La Folie, Bizou, Gramercy Tavern, Craftbar, and Craft. The latter received three stars from The New York Times and won the James Beard Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” Award during Nawab’s tenure.
Nawab received StarChefs “Rising Star Chef” award while serving as executive chef of East Village gastropub The E.U., before striking out on his own as chef/partner of Elettaria in 2008. Shortly thereafter, he began a stint of consulting work with Mexican restaurants, notably at the hotspot La Esquina, where he found he had a kinship with its tradition-heavy cooking style. In 2017, Nawab opened his innovative Mexican restaurant Alta Calidad in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating in 2018 and 2019 and continues to thrive as a neighborhood mainstay. Akhtar is also the chef advisor and partner in Bar Chinois in Washington, DC.
In addition to his work as a chef and restaurateur, Akhtar offers restaurant consulting services. The team has developed a niche practice in the world of food hall development, management, and innovation. Today, they are widely known as the country’s premier food hall management firms with properties in Silver Spring MD. (Solaire Social), Salt Lake City UT. (The Local), Houston, TX (Lyric Market), Atmore, AL. (The Market) Wetumpka, AL. (Riverside Market), Wilmington, DE (Chancery Market), and Rock Row, ME. (Rock Row).
Nawab has been featured in various publications including Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, USA Today and Eater, and has appeared on NBC’s “TODAY Show,” CBS’s “This Morning Saturday,” PBS’s “Simply Ming,” as well as Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and as a regular judge on “Beat Bobby Flay.” He has also been featured in the acclaimed cookbook Coco: 10 World-Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs (Phaidon, 2009) and J’aime New York: 150 Culinary Destinations for Food Lovers (Ducasse Books, 2012). In 2020, he released his own cookbook, Good For You: Bold Flavors with Benefits (Chronicle Books, 2020). Good For You embodies Nawab’s passion for healthful, delicious cuisine, showcasing his trusted repertoire of wholesome recipes influenced by international flavors and refined by decades of professional training.
Akhtar lives on the Upper West Side with his daughter Ela.
Michael Wetherbee
Co-CEO
Michael has worked with some of the world’s most renowned chefs, restaurants and operators including David Chang’s Momofuku Ma Peche (awarded two stars by The New York Times), as well as AvroKo’s PUBLIC (one Michelin star) and Saxon + Parole (awarded one star by The New York Times). In 2017, Michael opened Alta Calidad with his partner, Chef Akhtar Nawab, and has been instrumental in growing the company from a single restaurant to helming the diverse portfolio of food & beverage assets Hospitality HQ has today. Michael’s range of operational experience spans from fine dining to fast casual restaurants, hotels, food halls, and beyond, affording him the unique ability to create dynamic and memorable food and beverage experiences for guests of any Hospitality HQ property.
Rod Daya
Vice President
Rod is a leading food & beverage expert with extensive knowledge in innovative restaurant design and construction, concept development, operations, financial performance, project management, and technology integration. His background encompasses the development and expansion of full-service restaurants, fast casual concepts, QSR, food halls, casinos, and franchise operations. With over 250 openings and concept curations, he has a proven track record of growing international brands at the Director level including Dunkin, Raising Cane’s, Wind Creek Casino, Rosati’s, along with various regional concepts. Before transitioning to Hospitality HQ, Rod was CEO of Donato Restaurant Group and has owned/operated numerous restaurant concepts of his own. Rod has demonstrated expert proficiency in successfully evaluating an organization’s critical business requirements, identifying deficiencies and potential opportunities, and developing innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and improving customer service offerings.
He has a sophisticated understanding of how to align technology with business objectives while ensuring that the company’s technology infrastructure is reliable, scalable, and secure. As the Vice President, Rod has played a pivotal role in navigating Hospitality HQ through the start-up phase and into an internationally acclaimed hospitality group.
James Ciacci
CFO
With 20 years of experience, James Ciacci’s dexterous application of financial tenets has allowed countless business owners the freedom to pursue their passions, with the confidence that only a sound financial framework can provide. James cut his teeth working in operations for high-end hospitality operations such as Millenium Hotel and Omni Hotels. He soon transitioned to the more dynamic world of new-launch venues. Using his experience of efficiency and process, James helped concept locations become neighborhood stalwarts across New York City. Drawn to the challenge of maintaining consistency at scale, James spent time in the role of Manager of Operations for Laguardia Airport’s Food & Beverage Department. Having earned his MBA from Baruch College, James wields a formidable breadth of education, experience, and enthusiasm. Beyond his first-order contributions to his professional colleagues, his passion for mentorship grants him his most satisfying professional achievement, contributing to the success of others.
Steve Escobar
Director of Strategy and Oversight
As Director of Strategy and Oversight for HHQ, Steve oversees the company’s Directors of Operation and helps lead the overall direction of the company’s various locations. He works hand in hand with ownership and the finance department to oversee all hhq projects. In his role, Steve ensures preserving service and financial standards at both the local and national levels.
Steve has worked for various hospitality groups, beverage outlets and hotels, in the greater New York and Miami area over the past 15 years.
Simon Anquetin
Director of Operations
Simon started his culinary journey 14 years ago in Australia where he worked for several hotels, managing restaurants and bars. He then worked for different groups in Hong Kong, overseeing different locations for Pastis Group (french restaurants), Eric Kayser (café & bakeries), and opened the largest food hall at the heart of the city.
Katie Carter
National Director of Sales
Katie brings over a decade of unparalleled expertise in Sales and Marketing to every project she undertakes. Graduating from Temple University with a degree in Marketing, she embarked on her professional journey with an insatiable passion for the hospitality industry.
Throughout her career, Katie has cultivated a diverse array of experiences across various sectors within the hospitality industry including esteemed restaurants, bars, food halls, hotels, and off-site catering ventures.
Katie has orchestrated an impressive portfolio of high-profile occasions, ranging from opulent weddings to corporate galas. Her list of accolades includes planning iconic events including the NFL Draft and the Super Bowl, where her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to excellence have consistently exceeded expectations.
Recognized for her success at achieving sales goals and cultivating revenue growth, she approaches each endeavor with precision and strategic foresight. Katie’s dedication to enhancing guest experiences and fostering enduring connections resonates throughout her work.