Brian Kelly

Co-Founder

Brian Kelly has been a lifelong entrepreneur in a variety of different industries. His diverse experience as an entrepreneur in both the restaurant, hospitality and construction industries are invaluable to the success of TH/RST Group. 

Before starting his entrepreneurial journey Brian attended The City University of New York studying Civil Engineeringand then continued his education at Baruch College specializing in Construction Management. Brian went on to accomplish a career as a New York City Firefighter for 17 years retiring from the department in 2007. 

In 1996 he founded his own chain of specialty coffee bars and a corporate catering operation called City Beans Coffee Company and Hudson City Caterers. During construction of his retail operations, Brian acted as his own general contractor leveraging his education in construction to buildout on time and underbudget.

In 2010, Brian founded and developed a chain of Fast Casual Japanese restaurants called KOBEYAKI. As the Founder and CEO Brian has taken the concept from idea thru its current expansion in the NY region. Building locations in a variety of venues has shown the ingenuity of the brand. Venues include having inline locations in and around NYC, a location in Madison Square Garden “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, a top producing restaurant located in Terminal 7 – JFK Airport, as well as being a certified partner with Compass Group USA operating in numerous Compass corporate locations throughout the NY/NJ region. Kobeyaki is a brand that is using culinary excellence and cutting-edge technology to deliver a unique customer experience thru multiple channels to drive the top and bottom line. Building a resilient tech stack to constantly increase customer engagement is a top priority for our commitment to superior hospitality.

He resides in Manhasset, NY with his wife and three children.