Bonjour, Miami: French sister restaurant of Zuma and Coya to open next

Arjun Waney, the London-based co-owner of uber-popular Zuma — and the recently opened Coya — is planning to bring another of his international dining hotspots to the Brickell Corridor, The Real Deal has learned.

La Petite Maison, currently on the culinary scene in London, Dubai and Istanbul, is expected to open its first French Provençal restaurant in the United States in Miami by the end of year, Waney told TRD.

Seated at a table in Coya’s private club during a recent visit, Waney said Miami’s diversity of cultures and appeal to Latin Americans has led him to launch a slew of new restaurants here. Coya, at 999 Brickell Avenue, opened last month.

“Now we’re opening a third one,” he said. “It speaks for itself. We think very highly of Miami.”

Waney, who launched successful import businesses that later became the powerhouse Pier 1 Imports, now leads a dining empire that stretches from Miami to Hong Kong.

He first turned his attention to restaurants in 2000, after unsuccessful attempts to book a table at the always busy Nobu in London.  He figured he could open his own Japanese restaurant, and soon after launched Zuma with a chef-partner. Today, he and various partners own several restaurant brands, including Zuma, Coya, La Petite Maison, Roka, Il Baretto, Aurelia and Banca.

In the U.S., the group’s top revenue generating restaurant is Zuma in New York, which is expected to reach $45 million in revenue by the end of this year, while Zuma in Miami is up to $25 million a year, Waney said. Coya, which offers contemporary Peruvian cuisine in an Old World setting designed by London-based Sagrada, is expected to generate $14 million to $16 million in sales its first year, he said.

Next, La Petite Maison will open at 1300 Brickell Bay Drive, at the new condominium Brickell House, said Carmen Moré, restaurant and commercial specialist with Cervera Real Estate. Moré represented La Petite Maison in its lease, and also represented Coya and Zuma in their lease negotiations. Alexandra Goeseke represented the landlord, Nicolas Carrancedo Ocejo, at 1300 Brickell Bay Drive.

La Petite Maison will have about 5,000 square feet, plus an outdoor terrace, Moré said. Abu Dhabi is next on the list for the restaurant, she said.

La Petite Maison’s motto is to be “very pretty and elegant, but unpretentious,” she said. “And the food is the same way — not stuffy French at all. It’s very light and delicious — South of France.”