Beyond Table Stakes: Staying Power and Growth of Himmel Hospitality Group, the Award-Winning Steakhouse

For more than four decades, Himmel Hospitality Group has been a standard bearer of Boston's culinary scene. Grill 23 & Bar has earned Best of Boston recognition across four decades since opening in 1983. Harvest has anchored Harvard Square through generations of Cambridge diners. And in spring 2027, the group makes its biggest move in years: Bar 23 and Le Boulevard, two new concepts opening side by side on Fan Pier Boulevard in the Seaport. 

Jaime Campos, Chief Operating Officer of Himmel Hospitality Group and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, brings nearly three decades of experience across many venerable hospitality companies. In this conversation with Arun Upneja, dean emeritus, he talks about what the COO role actually looks like day to day in a family-owned restaurant group, why local ownership still delivers something national brands cannot, and what it takes to open two large-format restaurants simultaneously in a new neighborhood. He also reflects on Grill 23 at 43 years: what stays on the menu, what gets cut even when it feels sacred, and how a decades-old dirty martini found a new generation of fans through a single TikTok post. He speaks candidly about the discipline behind experiential hospitality, and how Himmel is using AI tools like Claude in the back office without ever putting them in front of a guest.

Email us at shadean@bu.edu

The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. 

Host: Arun Upneja, Dean
Producer: Mara Littman, Executive Director of Strategic Operations and Corporate Relations
Research and Content Creation: Lan Lu
Marketing: Anne Dawson
Editing: Isabella Laikin and James Leon

Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0