Ingrained Hospitality Concepts Announces Plans to Open Third and Fourth Locations at Rockefeller Center® and JACX&CO in Long Island City
Award winning Chef JJ “Joseph” Johnson and partner Will Sears, both of Ingrained Hospitality Concepts, announced today the expansion of their fast casual rice bowl shop FIELDTRIP with two new locations. The restaurant will open at the iconic Rockefeller Center and in JACX&CO, the curated dining concept space of the new LIC based office complex The JACX. The expansion with owners of both buildings, Tishman Speyer, will be the group’s third and fourth locations, with its first two being in Harlem and at the US Open. The JACX&CO location opens November 11, with Rockefeller Center slated to open in late November on the concourse level. Since its inception, and while navigating the pandemic, FIELDTRIP has emerged as a prominent black-owned business that supports the Harlem community and will expand to these new locations with the same core values of community engagement and hospitality. With this move, FIELDTRIP will join the few majority owned independent black restaurants with multiple locations.
Johnson opened the first FIELDTRIP in Harlem in July, of 2019, and quickly earned rave reviews from The New York Times, TimeOut NY and Eater, among others. Known for its flavorful crafted rice bowls highlighting global rice traditions, FIELDTRIP’s bowls feature a delicious protein, like the perfectly cooked salmon or spicy braised beef, over grandma and granddaddy rice grains, such as Texas Brown, China Black, and Carolina Gold, all accompanied by inventive and flavorful veggies and homemade sauces. There are also tasty bites like the crab pockets, Chef JJ’s take on the crab rangoon with generous lumps of blue crab and herbed cream cheese in a crispy wonton.
The new locations offer FIELDTRIP the opportunity to continue growing the brand’s vision of being a community building engine wherever it lands. The Harlem location became further entrenched in the community when it established itself as an essential business during the COVID shutdown by feeding essential workers, children and families. FIELDTRIP’s feed program to date has delivered over 85,000 meals and its work early on in the pandemic provided a model for a pivot strategy that many restaurants locally and nationally emulated, essentially positioning FIELDTRIP as an industry leader and innovator.
With the new locations at Rockefeller Center and JACX&CO, the brand is looking to connect to the local communities by touching not only tenants in the buildings, but also the many other audiences it serves - from the essential worker community to the corporate executives. Also true to the brand’s ethos is the opportunity to create new crucial jobs for community restaurant workers. “The reason I wanted to open in Harlem was to birth a fast casual concept out of a community that most people don't believe in or see as a launching pad for new concepts. But I felt that if it could work in Harlem, it could work anywhere in the world. Ultimately, Harlem’s support is why we can expand,” said Johnson. “We learned early on the importance of entrenching ourselves in the community and experienced how essential that is to sustaining and growing businesses in our industry. We look forward to continuing on this trajectory by connecting with the rich community of LIC and Queensboro, and to being a part of rebirthing midtown,” he added.
“FIELDTRIP is a perfect fit for Rockefeller Center – it is a brand built by New Yorkers for New Yorkers, and it has an authentic approach to building community. Especially during the pandemic, JJ and Will have demonstrated the grit, creativity and resilience that is New York City, and we couldn’t be happier that they’re coming to the Center and joining our growing list of curated dining experiences,” said EB Kelly, Tishman Speyer Managing Director overseeing Rockefeller Center.
FIELDTRIP diners can expect the same delicious rice bowls, like the popular Crispy Chicken and Seafood Gumbo, as well as its popular snacks like the Crab Pockets and the Bao Buns. A continuation of the vibe created in the Harlem space will be apparent in the new spaces with the music program created by international DJ Mick Batyske (preview the playlist here) and the design with its patterned fabric banquettes and brick walls and saturated tilework that will continue the same colorful and inclusive atmosphere found at the Harlem location. “With such an iconic address as 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the newest FIELDTRIP location has a heartbeat that is truly born in Harlem and raised in New York. The design reflects the vibrancy, diversity, and authenticity that Chef JJ brings to his ingredients, dishes, and communities he serves – honoring the mantra that Rice is Culture,” said Jaclyn Moser, partner at Chicago based design firm Harken Interiors.
“Rockefeller Center is the epitome of New York and certainly the heartbeat of Midtown. So of course the opportunity to bring FIELDTRIP into this part of town and be actively involved in helping to bring back the energy, vigor and New York resilience to this essential sector of the city is a true honor. We are thrilled to be working with Tishman Speyer in this effort and look forward to a fruitful undertaking,” said Spears. “Coming to Long Island City is particularly important to us as a brand because we are committed to being in neighborhoods that lack access to high quality and affordable food options, like the communities of LIC and Queensboro. Having the opportunity to bring FIELDTRIP here means we can provide an option for people that was not here before,” Johnson added.
About FIELDTRIP
FIELDTRIP is a community-based dining experience that celebrates culture through the shared experience of rice. For us, rice is a journey to new parts of the globe. Our mantra is “Rice is Culture.” Rice connects us and can be found at the center of tables in almost every community.
Our cuisine is influenced by global flavors and techniques used within various cultures. We use heirloom grains with each rice telling a unique story of how it arrived to this country and into your bowl. All rice is freshly milled, unbleached and not enriched. Using sustainable products is extremely important to us. Our rice bowls are paired with ethically sourced vegetables and proteins creating a flavorful experience that tastes good and is good for you!
About Chef JJ Johnson
JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-winning chef best known for his barrier-breaking cuisine connecting the foodways of West Africa and Asia to the Americas. Always striving for excellence, Chef JJ kicked off his career winning best New Restaurant 2014 from Esquire Magazine. He now will focus on making FIELDTRIP the future of dining and embracing communities.
Chef JJ hails from the cultural Mecca of Harlem and culinary traditions spanning from the American South to Puerto Rico, seasoned by the beat of a Hip Hop/R&B mixtape. His signature style of combining culturally relevant ingredients with his classically trained cooking and global point of view is inspired by the Caribbean tastes he grew up with, combined with inspiration from his travels.
Recognized by Eater as one of the New Guard of Power in NYC Dining, JJ’s brand of creating cultural connections through food is a hallmark of his hospitality group Ingrained Hospitality Concepts, a collaboration of industry professionals dedicated to creating great restaurants while sharing international cuisine with amazing hospitality.
JJ is a Chef on Buzzfeed’s Tasty platform, a Mastercard Ambassador and a television host on Just Eats with Chef JJ airing for its second season on TV One Network Cleo TV. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30, Eater Young Gun and has been featured on NBC TODAY, GMA, Food and Wine, Esquire magazine, and the New York Times chose FIELDTRIP as a Critic's Pick for the Hungry City Column.
Chef JJ published his award-winning first cookbook in spring 2018, “Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day” (Flatiron Books). He serves on the James Beard Impact Programs Advisory Committee and sits on the junior board of Food Bank for New York City, taking action to end hunger.
About Tishman Speyer (tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 27 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. We develop, build and manage premier office, residential and retail spaces for industry-leading tenants, as well as state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties venture. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, Tishman Speyer is unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and such customer-focused initiatives as tenant amenities platform Zo., and our flexible space and co-working brand Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 424 properties, totaling 184 million square feet, with a combined value of approximately $97 billion (US). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.
About JACX&CO
JACX&CO is a curated collection of known and new culinary concepts in the heart of Long Island City. A community hub for friends and family across the five boroughs, JACX&CO reflects the vibrant culture of its neighborhood with diverse cuisine and versatile dining experiences––a hospitality-first food hall by day, and full-service restaurant at night.
JACX&CO’s opening concepts include: Taïm, FIELDTRIP, Lotus + Cleaver, Méxology, Crif Dogs, Ghaya and Beebe’s. The bar menu (coming soon to the property), created to complement the chefs’ signature dishes, will feature bespoke cocktails, wine, and beer. Using technology to elevate hospitality, JACX&CO facilitates orders via Bbot, a frictionless order-and-pay app.
Located on the plaza level of The JACX (28-17 Jackson Avenue), a creative office development owned and operated by Tishman Speyer, JACX&CO’s intuitive architectural design and branding set the stage for the food and beverage experts housed in its space.
JACX&CO will open for lunch and dinner with indoor dining, pick-up and delivery in fall 2020. Further information about JACX&CO’s COVID-19 response can be found via www.jacxandco.
