Success du Jour

Stephen Starr never expected all of this to happen. A former music promoter, he is known these days as the creative mind behind some of Philadelphia's most popular restaurants -- the Continental, Buddakan, Tangerine and Blue Angel, all completed within the past five years. And in less than a month, Starr's latest creation, Pod -- a retro-futuristic restaurant serving Asian food -- will be opening on Penn's campus. Initially named "Pop," Pod will feature a conveyor-belt sushi bar, seating areas, or "pods" that change color with the press of a button, a plasma-screen television and a giant monolithic sculpture in the bar-lounge that seats up to 50 guests. With Pod, like all of his other restaurants, Starr intends to let his customers feast not only on the food but also on the elaborate decor. "His restaurants are more than restaurants. They're like theatre or cinema," explained Bradley Bartram, Starr's director of culinary operations. Cinema indeed. Starr has always considered himself an entertainer. Twenty years ago as a music promoter, he was competing non-stop with the Electric Factory for concerts and artists. But when Electric bought him out, Starr had to find a new arena of entertainment. According to Starr, the years of fierce competition with the Electric Factory -- his "biggest challenge" yet -- gave him an edge in the restaurant business by forcing him to always keep on top of the trends. And while he's enjoyed designing and opening his restaurants, the eclectic Starr claims he doesn't "necessarily enjoy running them, but you have to do it." Despite his claims, Starr attends to his restaurants almost obsessively. Though no culinary expert, he insists on handpicking all his chefs and trying every one of his restaurants' dishes for himself. "I really don't trust anyone," Starr admitted. "I have to taste it for myself." According to Bartram, Starr operates a "democratic dictatorship where everyone has a say and he makes the final decisions." With Buddakan, a trendy pan-Asian Center City restaurant, Starr recalled that the final decision changed everything. At the last second, after the blueprint was already complete and the architect and designer already paid, Starr -- cleaned of $75,000 in designing fees -- realized it was "not what it should be." He scrapped the plan -- and started from scratch. "It's scary how close I was to ruining the project," he said, grateful for the decision today. Richard Roberts, general manager of the Continental, said Starr hasn't become complacent despite his string of past successes. Explained Bartram,"He's extremely confident, and at the same time he's smart enough to know what he doesn't know. And when he doesn't know something, he has the drive to find someone who does." Andre Guillet, director of operations at Philadelphia's top-rated Le Bec Fin, said he believes Starr has played a tremendous role in enhancing Philadelphia's reputation as a city of culinary art. "He's a very creative man, and he has my respect.... I think all of us probably have to work harder because of [his restaurants], but it's a fun competition," Guillet said. But another Philadelphia restaurateur, who asked to remain anonymous, is not sure that Starr will be able to hold onto all his restaurants in the next five years. According to that operator, while Starr "certainly has the ability to open a restaurant one after another," the inability to apply one formula to run all five will make them difficult to manage. "[Starr] can't transfer one staff from one restaurant to another because they're all different restaurants with different themes," the operator explained. But according to Bartram, Stephen Starr has what it takes to maintain his success. "At a certain point, this business wears people out, and out of self-preservation, people have to turn the other way. Steven Starr has been able to not lose his focus," Bartram said. Starr, who has a history of revitalizing the areas surrounding his restaurants, expects Pod to do the same with University City. "I think this is part of [Penn's] bigger picture... developing the campus, trying to make it more competitive with other Ivy League campuses. And I think other entrepreneurs will want to come," he said, calling Penn's campus "very under-served." And Starr's ambition extends far into the future. Washington, D.C., will soon be introduced to Buddakan, which Starr expects to be the only one of his restaurants to be replicated. He also plans to open his first restaurant in Manhattan under the direction of Morimoto, better known as one of television's "Iron Chefs." And in Philadelphia, he will open another restaurant with Morimoto -- a homey Southern-style eatery. Said Starr, "You have to project confidence, even though you're scared." But if Pod is as successful as it is predicted to be, Starr will have reason to be confident about the future.

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