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           ![The CEO Series: Yossi Eliyahoo, The Entourage Group](https://media.slman.com/Nntc1wJTp5jnRIlrfxlYa5q0ySs=/500x221/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-230625-site-assets-yossi-the-ceo-series-hero.jpg?itok=zLUkZw_u) 

  

 

 ![The CEO Series: Yossi Eliyahoo, The Entourage Group](https://media.slman.com/SnCOUhK_GbiZKqIlm3XjzS4F9tg=/400x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F07%2Fsl-man-230625-site-assets-yossi-the-ceo-series-thumb-new-1.jpg?itok=Qm4wEMW2)

 

 

 



 

  [Interviews &amp; Careers](/life/interviews-careers) 

 



 /  25 June 2025  

#  The CEO Series: Yossi Eliyahoo, The Entourage Group  


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Yossi Eliyahoo is owner &amp; co-founder of The Entourage Group, which has just opened MR PORTER Steakhouse on Park Lane. As he prepared to host an SLMan dinner there, he chatted to us about the importance of dedication and consistency in his business, why he prefers his voice to AI’s, and how a plate isn’t just a plate…  
 

 



 

 

 

 

  Photography: Beatrice Granados Lafuente 

 

 

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/byDIJi9PbIreAtEpoGqn-rT70xQ=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-2.jpg?itok=cJewyvjI)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

## What's your story leading up to The Entourage Group, Yossi? 

I’ve been in hospitality since I can remember. I was 14 or 15 years old, working in kitchens and bars, just trying to make some money. I fell in love with it all: the socialising, the long nights, meeting so many different people every night. I couldn't see myself doing anything else, so I continued to make progress, then started managing places, then opened places in Tel Aviv, where I was born and raised. In 2001, I started doing concept restaurants all over the UK for a brand called [Chino Latino](https://chinolatino.co.uk/locations/london/). From 2002 to 2008, I worked in restaurants in Nottingham, Leeds and London. In 2008, I started a joint venture with my current business partner of 17 years, Liran Wizman, and we started a pan-Asian restaurant in Amsterdam called [MOMO](https://www.momo-amsterdam.com/). That was the beginning of [The Entourage Group](https://the-entouragegroup.com/). In 2012, we started [IZAKAYA](https://izakaya-restaurant.com/amsterdam/about), a contemporary Japanese restaurant, then a burger restaurant called [THE BUTCHER](https://the-butcher.com/), and then a speakeasy bar.

 

 I have done every element of this business – dishwashing, cooking, waiting and bartending – and it's all about the details.  
 

 



 

 



## How do you come up with the concepts for your restaurants?

We see what's missing in the city and then create the brand from scratch. It’s like writing a full script for a movie – building new worlds and characters, and it all needs identification. If you don't have a clear view of the identity of your brand, nobody else will. You need to be very, very clear.

## What are the traits you need to succeed in hospitality?

It starts with a lot of dedication and hard work, and that never ends. It's 24/7 – a never-ending story. It's also about consistency. You have to build a full experience and offer good value for money. You need to stand for quality. There are no shortcuts. If you don't have enough experience, it's a very high-risk business, and you will end up relying too much on other people. I have done every element of this business – dishwashing, cooking, waiting and bartending – and it's all about the details. You might think a glass is a glass and a plate is a plate. It's not. Everything needs to match.

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/3IgOSLA1GDWKZgCSDTHY6NV6Bzs=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-small-landscape.jpg?itok=aQJV19q-)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

 

## Talk to us about the leadership skills you’ve picked up along the way…

People need to trust you. People need to get inspired by you. People need to learn from you. If you cannot give them all that and show them that they are a part of a winning ship, they don't want to be part of it. To keep people for 15 years, this is key. If you're losing people all the time, the ship is going to fall apart. To keep it together, you need to have experience, personality, knowledge and something that will bond you all together. Sometimes, it’s just who you are.

## What's been the toughest challenge along the way? 

This restaurant has been the toughest! We had the space and had been planning it for a long time. Then the main constructor went into administration, so we had to change. This caused delays of six or seven months, cost a lot of money, caused a lot of stress, and we didn’t know what was going to happen. But it's the evolution of life. I think the reason this happened is it gave me more time to polish every detail, and for it to become what you see now. Now, when I see the design, concept and layout, I feel so fulfilled.

 

 

 



  [ ![](https://media.slman.com/03VW3Rp985O2cDkItGdeVymsEUQ=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-9.jpg?itok=4K3sCGDw)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

  

 

  [ ![](https://media.slman.com/_xSl9GXqRSSBnLNAUtBCa7LTCeA=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-6.jpg?itok=PUrHlS0y)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

  

 

 



 

 

 

 

## Why is now the time to open in London? 

London is the capital of the world for me. In music, hospitality, history, business, finance and everything. It’s such a powerful city. I get so much energy every time I land here.

## How has the opening gone so far?

Incredible, it’s been such a beautiful ride. The first week, it was invite-only to introduce the London crowd. We had an incredible night of journalists, celebrities from fashion, music and sport, and people from the industry – a really beautiful mix. There was a bar full of people, and a DJ. It was a lot of fun, and the feedback was incredible. People were amazed by the space.

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/sgDAS6a1jHRLmyz9YbVSI4saK04=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-10.jpg?itok=-h3Lplf5)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/utIecYCXTNHinvR_W0I2LcW5rZc=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-4.jpg?itok=SMjagTKQ)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/Ig1W57xCNI_cAFezr4CAzDCsuKg=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-5.jpg?itok=2wGMz3yB)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

 

## Tell us more about your approach to marketing…

Marketing is something that I believe in deep inside. To do the marketing the right way is super important, because otherwise you're misleading or you're sending the wrong messages. And this never stops. I don't believe in doing PR for a few months pre-opening, then opening and letting it go. It's the bread and butter to feed the brand and to feed the business. Nonstop. You need to create content.

## Do you use AI in your operations?

I try it when I write briefs and press releases. But sometimes I look at it and don't use it because I always want to be heard in my voice and tone, telling my story. Otherwise, it's going to be another computer-generated story. I am a storyteller, and there's no one else who knows the story better than I do.

 

 Success for me is when people love your brand and enjoy it for so many years. It’s quite a heartwarming feeling.  
 

 



 

 



## What does success look like for you?

Personally, it's having good times with friends and family – and enjoying life. That’s the most important thing. Today we're here, tomorrow we're not. I want every day to have memories and experiences. From a business perspective, it's good to see the places busy with people enjoying what you created. I cannot be more fulfilled than that. Success for me is when people love your brand and enjoy it for so many years. It’s quite a heartwarming feeling.

## Finally, Yossi, what advice would you give someone thinking of setting up their own restaurant? 

You need to have a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge behind you. You need to choose the right concept and the right location. It's like when you make a dish: if you're missing some ingredients, it’s never going to be a great dish. It's such a tough job. You need to have so much passion because it's the consistency of giving and giving and giving, and getting just a little.

 

*Book a table at* [*MrPorterSteakhouse.com*](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London)

 

 

 [ ![](https://media.slman.com/YbS2j4xJDGrc9W589H4azWrl25g=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fsl-man-ceo-series-yossi-1.jpg?itok=mtZZILoe)

 

 ](https://mrportersteakhouse.com/London) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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