SENIOR MANAGING PARTNER

Raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Kaplan relocated to Southern California in 1980 to pursue a career in architecture. After a short stint with a Beverly Hills-based design firm, he switched gears and joined Croissants USA as a designer and manager of their small chain of fast food stores. The restaurant, Ma Maison, later acquired the company while Wolfgang Puck was chef at the restaurant. It was then the two met and established what has become a close and successful working relationship spanning three decades.

In 1982, Kaplan joined Spago upon its opening in West Hollywood. From its successful start, Wolfgang and Kaplan grew the company from one restaurant to a much larger, expanded group which included key strategic partnerships with luxury hotel brands and major hotel/casinos.

Kaplan moved to Las Vegas in 1992 to open Spago and now supervises what has become the preeminent restaurant group in the United States, with 16 restaurants coast to coast. Today, Spago’s culinary success has been repeated in various locales, with restaurants from Maui to Dallas to Atlantic City taking the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group brand to a level by which many other restaurant groups are measured.

Kaplan devotes a large part of his time to community charity projects. He is the Vice President of the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, which benefits the Los Angeles Chapters of Meals on Wheels, and is Director of the Las Vegas-based Animal Foundation. He also is a member of the Las Vegas chapters of the Young Presidents Organization and the Chaine des Rotisseurs. In fitting with Kaplan’s passion and knowledge of the arts, the Las Vegas Art Museum appointed him to its Board of Directors in early 2007.

His extensive commitment to charitable endeavors led him to become one of the first individuals in Las Vegas to be inducted into the Las Vegas Dozen which honors men in the Vegas Valley for their roles in business and community involvement.

Kaplan has received many accolades including being named Nevada Restaurateur of the Year by the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show in 2005 and one of the “50 Most Influential” in Nevada by In Business in 2008.

Kaplan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College with a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Visual Arts and a coordinate major in Environmental Studies. Kaplan had no formal training in restaurant management, with only his experience as a college fraternity dishwasher to guide him. He did, however, attend hospitality management seminars at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management early in his career. It is ironic Kaplan would come to lead one of the most successful restaurant groups in the country since as captain of his high school and college wrestling teams for more than 9 years, he had to maintain a very strict diet and stay 20 pounds below his normal weight!

To compete with the rigors of the hospitality world, Kaplan enjoys running, cycling, skiing and hiking in the mountains with his Labrador and golden retriever. His passions include travel, dining, music, art and Pinot Noir.

The Managing Partners for Wolfgang Puck are as passionate about music as Chef Puck. Connect with Tom Kaplan by listening to his favorite tunes on the Partners’ Playlist.

"The ultimate restaurant experience is best achieved by three pillars: extraordinary cuisine, exceptional service and cutting–edge design. We continually seek new ways to elevate the standards of fine dining through innovation, creativity and development of key partnerships with groups such as The Four Seasons and The Ritz–Carlton who display the same unparalleled passion, professionalism and commitment for which our group is recognized."