About Us

CHOPSTICKS – CHOP STEAK – CHOP HOUSE

Brooklyn Chop House, NYC stands as a testament to the dynamic of Asian meets steakhouse, creating an immersive experience that transcends the boundaries of traditional dining where music, culture, and gastronomy become one. Located at the helm of two of New York City’s most iconic meccas—the Financial District and Times Square—the restaurant embodies the city’s heartbeat that never sleeps. They are owned by renowned hip-hop industry impresario Robert “Don Pooh” Cummins and Partner David Thomas. Brooklyn Chop House serves as a living testament to the cultural tapestry of the metropolis. Stratis Morfogen’s management company serves as the Culinary management for the brand. With a backdrop of curated playlists, diners embark on a sensory journey, offering a menu that seamlessly blends the hearty essence of a classic steakhouse with the daring flair of Asian cuisine. Here, guests have the privilege of dining in an atmosphere where the essence of hip-hop royalty permeates, celebrating artistic expression through both music and extraordinary culinary creations. The dynamic dining room captures guests’ enthusiasm for enjoying their meals and the captivating ambiance. It’s where food and amazing cocktails and the vibe of the culture collide, offering an unforgettable journey that engages all the senses.

Brooklyn Chop House NYC is more than a restaurant; it’s an invitation to partake in a symphony of flavors and rhythms.

OUR TEAM

Stratis Morfogen

Director of Operations

Stratis Morfogen

Following in his family’s tradition of owning restaurants, Stratis Morfogen always knew he would eventually shape the future of New York’s hospitality industry. Stratis was nominated “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1999 by Deloitte & Touche for bringing New York’s famed Fulton Fish Market to the internet in 1997 with the creation of FultonStreet.com. Stratis won numerous awards in customer service for that endeavour, which was highlighted in the New York Times Best Selling Book ”Customers.com” by Patricia Seybold. Today, the hard-working third-generation Morfogen is flourishing as a restaurateur and was the partner/owner of several establishments in New York including Club Rouge, Gotham City Diner, Seagrill of the Aegean, Hilltop Diner, Kids Kingdom Amusement Park, Aubar, Sessa, The Grand, Philippe Chow and Jue Lan Club to name a few. Stratis made his most significant mark in the hospitality industry by creating, designing and developing Philippe, a chic and sophisticated yet unpretentious Chinese restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, with chef Philippe Chow in 2005. The next Asian concept was Jue Lan Club, which was created for the historic Limelight space with over 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining. Today with partners Robert ”Don Pooh” Cummins and Dave Thomas, Stratis has created his most exciting menu and concept to date, Brooklyn Chop House. The name is a tribute to Morfogen’s father who had five Chelsea Chop House restaurants from 1955 to 1985.

Brooklyn Chop House plays on the double meaning of the word ’chop.’ From chop steaks, to chop sticks, Stratis married what made him a well-known name in the industry with Philippe Chow and Jue Lan Club. He has taken the best of those two menus and / combined them with Steakhouse classics like dry-aged 30-45 day Prime Steaks including a Porterhouse for 2, NY Strip and Bone-in Ribeye. The game-changer and uniqueness of Brooklyn Chop House’s menu came home by taking the staples from his father’s Hilltop Diner, such as Pastrami, Lamb Gyro, the Reuben, Philly Cheesesteak, Bacon Cheeseburger and French Onion Soup and turning each into dumplings. This drove the Brooklyn Chop House concept viral on social media as the first to re-imagine deli and diner sandwiches into dumplings.

Stratis was recently signed as an author with Page Street and MacMillan Publishing Houses and will be coming out with his first book, “Damn Good Dumplings” in August 2020.

Nov 2018, 5 weeks since our grand opening. Thrillist has awarded BCH Best New Restaurant of 2018!

RATED BEST STEAKHOUSE IN NYC NOV 2019 – NEWSWEEK

Robert “Don Pooh” Cummins

Franchise Expert / Entrepreneur

Robert “Don Pooh” Cummins

Robert Cummins is a visionary. During Robert (Don Pooh) Cummins tenure as an industry executive, he worked very closely with hip hop superstars, Jay-Z, and The Notorious BIG, and discovered a young rap artist by the name of Foxy Brown who he managed and would solely guide her to becoming one of hip hop’s multi-platinum superstars and helped form the supergroup “The Firm” (NAS, AZ, and Foxy Brown) that Robert also co-executive produced. He then in 1999 accepted the esteemed position of Executive Vice President at MCA Records, then home to artists such as Mary J. Blige, Blink, Shaggy, and The Roots, amongst others.

One of Robert’s greatest accomplishments while as the executive VP of MCA was personally overseeing and co-executive producing Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” album, which earned the multi-platinum megastar her ﬁrst Grammy Award and went on to sell 7 million albums worldwide. Robert has continued to work with Mary J Blige for the last 15 years since that day and continued to work with her on her management team in various capacities.

While still working in the music business, Robert decided to diversify his assets. Mr. Cummins decided to go into the franchise business where he signed a 16 store development deal with Papa John’s restaurants to develop in NYC.

Mr. Cummins had secured another huge franchise development deal in January 2007 to build and operate several IHOP restaurants in the New York area over the next 7 years. By securing the exclusive rights to the Brooklyn NY area, this time he seemed to have struck oil on this venture. With his ﬁrst IHOP opening in downtown Brooklyn in December 2007, it ranked top #1 in sales in the IHOP system over the ﬁrst year in a company that consisted of more than 1400 restaurants in the US. Robert has opened 3 more lHOP’s in NYC to date.

Currently, Mr. Don Pooh has a new 150 seat authentic 5000 square foot restaurant called Brooklyn Chop House which opened in 2018 for amazing reviews and is named one of NYC’s top 10 restaurants to visit by food enthusiasts at Eater and Haute living. Brooklyn Chophouse Southampton is also set to make its return in 2019 for its 2nd summer opening. Also, Mr. Cummins is slated to open a new IHOP restaurant in the American Dream mall in NJ in Fall 2019 and has several real estate development projects CH O P in progress.

David L. Thomas

Business Strategist

DAVID L. THOMAS

For over 20 years, David L. Thomas has been a thought leader, business strategist, and implementer. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive tactics, his career has blossomed in diverse markets from an early interest in celebrating milestones to being responsible for developing technology infrastructure and pathway as President and CEO of DeKrouff Core Drilling Company.

Growing up on the streets of the concrete jungle, the native Brooklynite felt the beat of entrepreneurship pulse through his veins. In 1999, he launched his entrepreneurial journey as a partner of Original Party People, an events management company. Still astonishing clients and partygoers to this day, the company puts on high-profile private parties, off-the-chart weddings, and charitable events for the most discerning clientele.

Thomas’ professional acumen coupling business operations with knowledgeable tactics is what led him to the position of heading DeKrouff Core Drilling Company for upwards of two decades. He ensured the company’s multi-million dollar contract with CableVision, the nation’s fifth-largest cable provider, to provide infrastructure for high-speed internet, digital cable, and phone service.

Utilizing strategically cultivated industry alliances, Thomas also garnered contracts for DeKrouff to engineer and construct cell-towers for such telecommunication titans as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Metro PCS, and Crown Castle. Merging his experience in telecommunications with a combination of big picture thinking, as well as attention to detail, Thomas opened Bedford Technology during the summer of 2013. Subsequently, he also opened a T-Mobile franchise in his home borough of Brooklyn, New York.

As a partner in both the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop and Brooklyn Chop House, Thomas’ broad array of construction, business, management, telecommunication, and franchise expertise is welcomed at the table. He has devoted his energy into facilitating expansion of the brand from conception to its current market position gaining increasing visibility. With partners Robert “Don Pooh” Cummins and Stratis Morfogen, this visionary aims to turn cultured foodies on to these eateries on a global scale.