Brian Malarkey resigned from the Hakkasan Group on March 21 to focus on his company Puffer Malarkey Restaurants.
Malarkey is the founding executive chef of Searsucker and Herringbone, which Hakkasan acquired in 2014. The restaurants have a presence in Austin, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Los Cabos, and Waikiki in addition to their San Diego locations. Malarkey has maintained equity in Searsucker and Herringbone but will no longer be involved with the restaurants’ management.
“Searsucker and Herringbone are two unique concepts I will continue to be proud of,” Malarkey said in a statement. “I am grateful for the incredible employees, many that have been with us since the start, friends and the loyal clientele who have helped drive their success and it's been exciting to watch their expansion over the last few years under Hakkasan's guidance. However, at this time in my career, I would like to focus entirely on my hometown of San Diego and its incredible dining scene.”
Malarkey co-founded Puffer Malarkey Restaurants with Christopher Puffer. The company’s concepts include Herb & Wood, Herb & Eatery, Green Acre, and Farmer & The Seahorse. Puffer Malarkey is scheduled to open two new restaurants in late 2018 and early 2019: Animae and Herb & Sea.
