Nick Kokonas is an American restaurant businessman and author.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Northbrook IL, only child of Greek parents, Kokonas graduated from

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

with a degree in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Career

Prior to meeting

Grant Achatz Grant Achatz ( ) (born April 25, 1974) is an American chef and restaurateur often recognized for his contributions to molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. Achatz has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publication ...

and forming their business partnership, Kokonas was the owner of a financial firm for 10 years, and was an investor and entrepreneur.Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', Chris Borelli, Kokonas's restaurants

Next NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...

, Alinea, and The Aviary served as a testing and development ground for his proprietary ticketing system called Tock. Kokonas's system allows for dynamic pricing for restaurant tickets/reservations. Some of the earliest adopters include,

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, the French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Found ...

The French Laundry The French Laundry is a three-Michelin star French cuisine, French and California cuisine, Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1 ...

and

Per Se Per se may refer to: * '' per se'', a Latin phrase meaning "by itself" or "in itself". * Illegal ''per se'', the legal usage in criminal and antitrust law * Negligence ''per se'', legal use in tort law *Per Se (restaurant) Per Se is a New Amer ...

and Daniel Patterson's Coi. In 2021 Tock was acquired by Squarespace for over $400 million. Alinea has been named the best restaurant in North America by publications as diverse as Gourmet Magazine, the World's 50 Best, and Trip Advisor. Next, a shape-shifting restaurant with new menus every 3 or 4 months, won a James Beard award for Best New Restaurant in America and was given a 4-star rating from the Chicago Tribune for each of 21 different menus. Kokonas has been a frequent and often cited guest on podcasts including the Tim Ferriss Show, where his first appearance was the top listened to show for that year.

Personal life

Kokonas and his wife, Dagmara, have two sons.The Take-Away: Nick Kokonas on Roister, Alinea and Tock

Crain's Chicago Business ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is a weekly business newspaper in Chicago, IL. It is owned by Detroit-based Crain Communications. History The first issue of ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is dated April 17, 1978. In 1977, when Crain Communicati ...

, Christina Le Beau, July 7, 2016

Published works

*Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, ''Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat'' March 6, 2012

References

Living people People from Chicago Colgate University alumni American restaurateurs Year of birth missing (living people) {{Chicago-stub