Kate Burr is a partner at The Benjamin Hollywood and Bar Benjamin in Los Angeles, alongside Ben Shenassafar and Jared Meisler. After more than a decade working across the hospitality and lifestyle space as a creative marketer and culinary strategist, Kate transitioned from shaping brands behind the scenes to building her own restaurant concepts.
Prior to opening The Benjamin, Kate held roles at The Door and BeccaPR, working across public relations, brand development, and talent strategy for leading names including Rachael Ray, Missy Robbins (Lilia), the New York and South Beach Wine & Food Festivals, Casa Dragones Tequila, and Health-Ade Kombucha. She later led consumer engagement and strategy in-house for Moët Hennessy’s Prestige Brand Group and Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits. Today, she also runs her own consulting agency, A LA MODE, focused on creative marketing, partnerships, and brand strategy within the F&B and lifestyle space.
Kate brings a thoughtful approach to hospitality — bridging brand, experience, and community — and would be a great voice for this feature.
What first interested you in your area of the hospitality industry?
Food was never just about eating for me, it was about experience, connection, and storytelling. I grew up watching Two Fat Ladies with my mom and hunting down the best soup dumplings in New York with my family, and that curiosity about why people gather around a table stuck with me. When it came time to choose a career, there was really no other option. I started with an internship with a top culinary talent agent, then worked alongside chef and author Eddie Huang across his ventures, and from there I was hooked on the business side of hospitality: how a restaurant tells its story, builds its community, and turns a meal into something people remember.
Who are a few of the people who have encouraged your career?
My parents have been a cornerstone of my support system from day one. Professionally, I owe a lot to Charlie Dougiello, my former boss at The Door. His ability to think strategically and turn small ideas into big wins was formative, and he trusted me early with new business and client relationships in a way that built my confidence. And my Benjamin partner, Ben Shenassafar, has been an invaluable mentor. His years of entrepreneurial experience and generosity with his time helped me grow A LA MODE Co. as much as it’s helped shape The Benjamin.
What challenges do you think people face in your industry?
As a restaurant owner… where do I begin? Managing people is probably the biggest one. Building and holding onto a strong team takes constant investment, and turnover is just part of the business. Beyond that, there’s the pressure of always having to perform at the highest level with every guest, every night, no matter what’s happening behind the scenes. Add in thin margins and long hours, and it’s a business that doesn’t leave much of an off switch.
As a culinary brand strategist and marketer, the challenge is different: sometimes you’re looked at as outside help rather than part of the team, brought in for a deliverable rather than trusted with the bigger picture. I’ve always preferred being embedded, understanding a brand from the inside so the strategy actually reflects who they are, not just what looks good on paper.
Can you cite a few accomplishments that have given you great pride and elevated your work?
Opening The Benjamin (now two years running) and Bar Benjamin (one year) has given me a level of credibility that I never had before, and I’m wildly proud of that. It feels like the culmination of everything I’ve worked toward, proof of concept for the brand we have built. I’d also point to launching my A LA MODE Co., own consultancy in the first place: building it from scratch and having such an organic flow of clients I trust and genuinely love working with has been one of the accomplishments I’m proudest of.
What piece of advice can you give to others who are considering a career such as yours?
If you’re truly passionate about it, success will come, but it’s rarely instant. For me, it’s been constant hard work, saying yes to opportunities even when they stretched me, and never underestimating the value of building and nurturing relationships. This industry runs on trust and connection as much as talent, so invest in people early and keep showing up for them. The rest tends to follow.
Everyone who works in the hospitality industry has a story to tell about something incredible that happened on the job. What’s one that you often tell?
One of the most memorable nights at The Benjamin happened during the early onset of the first wave of the LA fires. We had Lorne Michaels and members of the SNL cast coming in for dinner for the very first time. A big night for us. About twenty minutes before their arrival, the power went out entirely. We stayed calm, lit candles throughout the restaurant, and hoped for the best. Jason Sudeikis was the first to walk in; we got him set up at the bar with a mezcal daisy and kept the energy light while we waited for the rest of the party. When Lorne and the others arrived, we apologized for the situation, and they couldn’t have been more gracious. They settled into a booth, cocktails and candles all around, and ended up staying for nearly an hour, completely unbothered, just enjoying the company and the atmosphere in our pitch-black, candlelit dining room. It was one of those nights that could have gone sideways but somehow became magic.
What do you hope people understand about those who work in your area of hospitality?
There are so many variables that go into just getting the plate on the table in front of you. From the day prep to the dishwashers, the purveyors to the front of house team. It’s tiring, physical, relentless work. Just know that every plate that hits your table has a whole team of people behind it, working hard so you don’t have to think about any of it.
Is there anything else you want Woman Around Town readers to know?
Hospitality has taken me down a lot of different paths, talent, PR/marketing, brand strategy, and now ownership, but it’s all been rooted in the same thing: a genuine love for bringing people together over food. If there’s one thing I hope comes through, it’s that there’s no single “right” way into this industry. Mine wasn’t linear, and I’m still learning as I go, but staying close to what I actually love is what’s kept it all connected.
Photo Credit: credit: Marcus Meisler
