Earlier this year, chef Hasung Lee appeared on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars. Now he's got something arguably harder: a fully booked eight-course tasting-menu restaurant in New York called Oyatte. An Eater interview, part of its "Now Open" series, walks through the rough road from a 2020 dream to opening day.
The takeaway: even viral fame doesn't insulate a kitchen from construction delays, reservation-platform bugs, and rain leaking into the basement.
At a glance:
- Hasung Lee is the chef behind Oyatte and a Netflix Culinary Class Wars alum.
- Oyatte serves an eight-course produce-driven tasting menu.
- Lee trained at four celebrated kitchens, including stints under some of the industry's most demanding chefs.
- The opening was delayed four times before service began.
- Oyatte sources produce from Crown Daisy Farm in Staatsburg, NY.
The long road to opening
Lee tells Eater he was already sketching out his own restaurant concept back in 2020, gathering references and information. The produce-first philosophy anchored the menu; pairing with Brett Ellis, who runs Crown Daisy Farm upstate, gave him the supply chain he'd been looking for. To squeeze everything possible out of what the farm delivers, Lee maintains a sprawling fermentation log covering fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even tree bark.
Opening day chaos
Lee described the first day of service to Eater as busy, stressful, and exciting all at once. Permit paperwork stalled; furniture deliveries ran late; construction slipped; the launch was pushed back four separate times. Then, on top of all that, a glitch in the SevenRooms booking system forced the kitchen to absorb roughly double the volume he'd originally scoped for.
The Netflix effect
Lee joined the streaming competition, per his Eater interview, partly hoping to attract outside investors, though he ended up closing funding before the episodes even aired. The post-broadcast wave of curious diners, he says, has translated into a fully booked dining room every single night. Recognition on the street is rare; he walks to work without being noticed, aside from occasional subway encounters.
What he's learned
Lee is still figuring things out day by day, but one lesson stands out: persistence pays off when problems stack up. Recent headaches include a basement that floods whenever it rains, a landlord still working through repair requests, and staffing that needs constant tuning. None of it is glamorous, and none of it shows up on camera.
Our analysis
There's a notable disconnect between Lee's screen presence and the realities he describes. On Culinary Class Wars, he projected composure under pressure. Off-camera, by his own account, the Black Spoons-versus-White Spoons team challenge tested him most; he'd never cooked alongside that crew before, and his fine-dining background collided with looser kitchen habits.
For the broader restaurant industry, the bigger lesson is that exposure helps fill seats but can't replace operational discipline. Oyatte is fully booked, and the team is still chasing the same fixing-the-faucet problems as any independent operator. Visibility drives demand; execution keeps the lights on.
What it means for you
Say you're a hospitality operator watching this from afar. The playbook here is straightforward: spend years refining technique, lock in your producers, and don't open until the build is actually finished, even if that means four delays. Lee's discipline around fermentation tracking and ingredient sourcing is the real moat; Netflix simply accelerated an already-built audience.
Bottom line
Oyatte ranks among the most anticipated openings of 2026, and early dining-room buzz suggests the hype is earned. Behind the pass, Lee is troubleshooting infrastructure issues between services. Expect months of sold-out seatings; expect the chef to keep solving everyday problems alongside the headline-making ones.
Key takeaways
- Oyatte was delayed four times before opening, per Lee's interview with Eater.
- Lee appeared on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars before the restaurant opened.
- The restaurant serves an eight-course, produce-driven tasting menu sourced from Crown Daisy Farm.
- A SevenRooms glitch forced the kitchen to start at roughly double its planned cover count.
Frequently asked questions
When did Hasung Lee start planning Oyatte?
Per Eater, Lee began collecting references for his own restaurant around 2020.
How many covers does Oyatte serve per day?
Lee told Eater he planned for 30 covers a day but started at 55 across three turns due to a reservation-platform issue.
Where does Oyatte source its produce?
From Crown Daisy Farm in Staatsburg, New York, run by Brett Ellis, per Eater.
Did the Netflix show help Oyatte?
Lee tells Eater the show brought in guests who want to visit; the restaurant is fully booked every day.
Source: eater.com
