Umami Burger to open in NY

It's part of a national expansion of the high-end burger chain, which is half-owned by nightclub/hotel impresario Sam Nazarian. The plan is to reach more than 20 locations by the end of the year. From Bloomberg:

Nazarian sees his premium restaurants and burgers as apart from the pack. Umami serves up hand-chopped ahi tuna with wasabi flake, and offers wine and martinis in some locations. These are the latest evolutionary twist on the Southern Californian burger, in the land where McDonald's and In-N-Out Burger began. In Manhattan, Umami will face "really strong competitors" that charge under $10 for a burger, said Conrad Lyon, a senior equity analyst in Los Angeles for B Riley & Co. There are scores of them, including New York Burger Co. and J.G. Melon.