From pop singer The Weeknd to actress Katie Holmes, celebrities in the United States have been flocking to New York restaurant chain Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer for their guilty pleasure — towering decadent milkshakes and classic burgers.
Speaking to the MICHELIN Guide Digital in Singapore, Black Tap owner Chris Barish, 44, excitedly rattles off a list of celebrities who have visited his casual American restaurants, including model Claudia Schiffer and actresses Zendaya and Millie Bobby Brown.
Much to the delight of his teenaged daughter, his restaurants have enabled her to meet her favourite stars. He recalls: “Katie Holmes has brought her daughter, Suri, for milkshakes. Zendaya visited us with her friends, which got my daughter excited, and so did Millie, who had a Brooklyn Blackout CrazyShake.”
Now, a touch of Tinseltown glamour has landed in Singapore with the opening of the New York institution’s first outpost in Asia last week.
When asked how these Instagram sensations came about, Barish says that CrazyShakes started innocuously when his staff were “playing around” — adding cotton candy on top of milkshakes. Photos were posted on social media, word started spreading and the milkshakes started getting more outrageous.
Take the Sweet N’ Salty Shake for example. The vanilla and peanut butter milkshake is topped with a dollop of whipped cream, embellished with salty pretzel sticks, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms and chocolates, and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce. The zany beverages are shaken and decorated in an open-concept milkshake bar in the restaurant.
The restaurant, which is named after the black handles that are commonly found in craft beer bars, started out as a 15-seat burger joint in New York’s SoHo district in 2015. It has since expanded to an empire of 11 restaurants in cities such as Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi and Geneva.
On Black Tap’s Asian debut in Singapore, Barish, who is partnering the Las Vegas Sands Group, is keen to tap on Singapore’s international clientele. “There is much more excitement in creating an international brand than opening around New York,” he says. “Opening restaurants also gives me an opportunity to travel to places that I want to visit.”
He “table touches” regularly — interacting with diners whenever he checks in on Black Tap outlets in different countries every couple of months. Through these sessions, he notices that locals, tourists and expats alike visit his restaurant in each city.
“I find it more rewarding to bring a part of cool downtown New York around the world,” he says. “Meeting people of different nationalities, from London to Ohio, keeps me going.”
A huge chunk of a Black Tap dining experience also lies in the interiors, ambience and even down to the music — an eclectic mix of ’90s hip hop and ’80s pop music, featuring the likes of Madonna and The Psychedelic Furs.
With 28 years of food and beverage experience, Barish (left) says: “It starts with the good quality of food, but these days, design is so important in creating a fun dining atmosphere if you want people to return. The restaurant needs to look, feel and sound good.”
Having started in nightclubs such as Light in New York and Las Vegas in the noughties, he taps on his nightlife experiences to run restaurants. He says: “They are both people-centric businesses and have to put on a show with the music, staff uniform, the presentation of
food and drinks. With restaurants, you are just catering for a wider audience.” Barish hopes to expand Black Tap to other cities in Asia such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.
Some of Black Tap’s crowd favourites are the special dishes and drinks that commemorate holiday seasons and special events.
A banana split milkshake is also in the works. Barish says that has been requested by his long-time friend, movie star Sylvester Stallone. He quips: “Who can say no to Rocky?”
