After over a year of negotiating, the team behind fashion-crowd favorite Jean’s – is headed to the Hamptons. They have purchased the property in Sagaponack that housed 50-plus-year-old Old Stove Pub, the iconic Greek steakhouse that attracted diners like Billy Joel, Jimmy Fallon, and Ralph Lauren.
Although the $4.5 million handover is all but complete, the Hamptons version of Jean’s won’t open until 2027. Jean’s is a bit of a throwback to the days of early Beatrice Inn or even Acme, where dining was more about being out than eating.
“A lot of work needs to be done before that,” says Jeffrey Chodorow, who’s heading up the project. His son, Max Chodorow, who is also a restaurateur, will operate it, along with Jean’s partner Ashwin Deshmukh.
The elder Chodorow, who founded China Grill and other restaurants, is known for making a statement, particularly in 2007, when he declared war on then-New York Times editor Pete Wells and restaurant critic Frank Bruni with a full-page ad, blaming the them for previous challenges with his restaurants.
Among the partners, Deshmukh was the subject of a New York Times piece that alleges he hustled people out of money, including the owners of Spicy Moon and Superiority Burger, along with individual investors.
“I understand that certain people may have some issue with Ash,” says Chodorow. “But I have worked with him for five years, and he has been nothing but honorable.”
This summer, the team plans to host a weekly Jean’s dinner series at the address, and make the space available for the occasional wedding or other events.
As for Jean’s 2027 opening in the Hamptons, “The idea is to be very family-friendly, and our menu is seasonal,” says Chodorow. “It will be similar in style to the city restaurant, but we are at the beach, so there will be more of a seafood focus, and lots of vegetables,” he adds.
No word yet on the name. “I like Summer Jean’s, but [the team] like[s] Beach Jean’s,” he says, and there is also talk of Jean’s at Old Stove Pub. But the restaurant’s last owner, Joseph DeCristofaro, a Southampton native who now owns the Hamptons outpost of La Goulue, says that the name Old Stove Pub is his.
“They bought the real estate, but I own the name,” DeCristofaro says.