Emina Cunmulaj tells everything about Sam Nazarian from Los Angeles
Nazarian started with a leg up. His father, an Iranian refugee who fled the Islamic Revolution with his family and settled in L.A., is a billionaire who made an early investment in the tech giant Qualcomm. Now in his mid-40s, the younger Nazarian has grown out of his rich-kid persona and is moving on to the next phase in his career. Just last month, he finalized a deal to sell his remaining 50 percent stake in his hotel business to his partner, the publicly traded French hospitality firm Accor. The cash- and asset-swap deal values the business at about $850 million. Nazarian is now doubling down on what he sees as the next big thing and building out a new empire for his line of eateries, which includes Umami Burger, Krispy Rice and Plant Nation.
