“That was a damn good time,” replied Simon Kim, CEO and founder of Gracious Hospitality Management, owners of COTE Korean Steakhouse and COQODAQ, to my question during his discussion with Josh Condon, acting editor-in-chief of Robb Report at House of Robb: Miami Art Week. “What did he want diners to feel after leaving one of his restaurants?” I had asked. After all, in the world of immersive dining experiences, the pursuit of luxury is always about the emotional aftertaste.
His response built on much of what he’d already shared during the panel: dining should be a joyful experience. Kim’s restaurants are built to engage all senses. Entering one of his spaces means seeing the kitchen’s vibrant energy; tasting the effervescence of champagne paired with fried chicken; smelling the enticing aroma of freshly steamed jasmine rice; and feeling the unexpected tactile pleasure of washing one’s hands with intentionally selected soap. Even handwashing, as he sees it, should be a “happy moment.”
“So why settle for something?” Kim remarked. “I want to make this world just a little more delicious, just a little more happier.”
Kim’s emphasis on engaging the senses to enduce happiness speaks to how immersive dining experiences are powerful storytelling tools in creating customer delight. Thus set the tone for my own exploration of immersive experiences designed to coincide with Miami Art Week. The first stop in my adventure was Panamericano Bar, a truly hidden gem tucked behind an unmarked door in Miami’s Mary Brickell Village.
Discovering Panamericano: A Speakeasy’s Immersive Dining Experience
Actually finding Panamericano was the first step of the experience. A hostess from another restaurant pointed me to a hanging globe sign—the only indication you’ve arrived at the right place. Panamericano’s discreet speakeasy format, which requires a doorbell ring and self identification before given entry, suggests a second chance at witnessing the Roaring Twenties in this current century. The marketing genius of this process speaks to the excitement first time visitors will want to recreate when they return with out-of-town friends and family in tow. The cousin from Idaho will regale Boise friends back home with travel tales of entering a Miami speakeasy.
Aistis Zidanavicius, Panamericano’s bar manager, or by his preferred title, “Bar Shaman,” led me into the intimate space, where plush green chairs lined either wall and an elaborate, well stocked bar focused your eyes. That is, until you glanced at the menu and became engrossed in the rich stories behind each cocktail concoction. The bar pays homage to South America’s diverse and vibrant flavors, sourcing spirits from across the continent and using indigenous ingredients like cacao fruit juice and corn in its signature Cacao Ceremony and Bolivia’s revered Singani 63 in its Cocomelon formulation.
While the menu’s creative breadth encourages repeat visits, Zidanavicius understands variety adds more spice to the already savory experience of imbibing at Panamericano. Thus he designed the guest bartender pop-up takeover series. As the week’s guest bartender, multi award-winning Argentinean Rodrigo Tubert was more alchemist than mixologist.
“I come from a family of scientists, and mixology for me is about merging my past with the future, creating something new with every drink,” Tubert told me, as the suddenly spinning room made me realize there was more alcohol than I thought in the drink I’d sipped entirely too quickly. “I specialize in the application of science into practice. What I brought today is the application of three different techniques that are not that usual in cocktail making.” This scientific application is why my cocktail deceptively tasted alcohol-free, leading me to drink it as if it were merely an Evian.
As a trained chemist, Tubert’s brand of mixology, labeled SciSips, or “scientific sips of love,” balances scientific precision with sensory indulgence. Using a method called sonication, Tubert engages high-frequency sound waves to extract flavors from ingredients, creating an entirely new palate sensation. “With sonication, you’re using sound to break down the ingredients and pull out the flavors more efficiently,” he explained. “I use science to create more of what nature intended.”
His approach means each drink comes with its own story. Whether a cocktail made from pineapples clarified through soy milk or a mezcal blend infused with essential oils extracted via subcritical CO2, Tubert’s technique incites intrigue in sampling his next invention. This, of course, is why Zidanavicius invited him to Panamericano during one of the busiest weeks in Miami.
Through Zidanavicius’ broader strategic vision, the guest bartender series spins a fresh narrative with every mixologist rotation, turning Panamericano into more than a bar for a quick after-hours cocktail. Connoisseurs of fine imbibing can’t help but return to discover what new taste adventure will be served up in a subsequent visit.
The Prestige of Scarcity: FOMO as a Marketing Tool In Immersive Dining Experiences
“The beauty of cooking in front of customers lies in the ability, gained over time and experience, to witness the exact moment they taste your food,” Chef Max Kamukara, executive sushi chef for Mr. Hospitality, owner of Queen Miami Beach, told me in an email prior to the dinner. “It speaks volumes about whether I, as the chef, am heading in the right direction. At Queen Omakase, after years of observation and learning, I’ve gained a deep understanding of our customers. With each menu iteration, I feel confident we’re delivering a truly exclusive and exciting experience.”
If you will pardon the humble brag, I am Chef Max’s target customer. I have a delicious hobby of dining at every Michelin-rated or World’s 50 Best restaurant in each foreign city I visit. As such, I entered Queen Miami Beach with a childlike giddiness to experience Queen Omakase’s 4 Hands Omakase Collaboration, which paired Michelin-starred, European kitchens-trained Chef Freddy Money, the British culinary director of Atlas Restaurant in Atlanta, with Chef Max’s epicurean blend of French, Mexican, Brazilian and Japanese influences. It was with a marketing eye, however, I observed the evening’s immersive dining experience, limited to eight guests as Chef Max reigned over his counter, elevated above the main restaurant downstairs.
“How do the setting and ambiance of Queen Omakase enhance the storytelling of your dishes?” I asked.
“The most beautiful thing is that Queen, aesthetically speaking, has all that 70s glamour but with the modernity that Miami has seen in terms of sound quality and lighting,” he replied. “And that’s how I describe my menu at Omakase.”
Before dinner, the restaurant marketing director gave me a personal tour of the former Paris Theater, sharing its storied history as we walked the lavish interior, past custom mosaics, mid-century brass chandeliers and a taxidermized peacock. Designed by Art Deco architect Henry Hohauser in 1945, the theater is a Miami Beach cultural landmark, reincarnating through the years from a glamorous movie theater to an adult movie house to a nightclub to hosting music videos by Madonna, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. The theater’s 2023 transformation into Queen Miami Beach reimagines the facility into an old-fashioned supper club with a modern twist.
With only two seatings a night and an intimate eight-top counter, exclusivity is a key part of the night. Chef Max concurred.
“This experience is meticulously crafted, with intricate details and dishes that simply cannot be replicated at the same level of quality and precision in larger quantities. This intentional design enables us to offer each guest unparalleled personal attention, delivering a truly tailored culinary journey.”
Unlike most fine dining experiences, where interactions with the chef usually happen only by invitation, Chef Max preferred the intimate arrangement. “Usually sushi chefs don’t talk that much,” he confessed during the meal. “But I like to break that barrier, bringing your whole body into this present moment.”
This barrier breaking extended to the courses, each arriving with a story and precise presentation. As Chef Freddy introduced the cauliflower panna cotta topped with Granny Smith granite and Crystal caviar, he invited us to “dig down into those layers and enjoy.” When the Shima crudo adorned with sudachi and a delicate dashi gelée arrived, Chef Freddy noted, “Our restaurant is an art gallery in itself, so we’ve brought some of those touches into this evening’s presentation.”
“You’ve worked with ingredients from across the globe, including indigenous Brazilian products. How do you decide which elements to incorporate?” I asked.
“Fortunately, I’ve been gifted with an extraordinary palate memory—a talent I like to say is a blessing from God,” Chef Max enthused. “I can vividly recall the flavors, textures, and even the visual details of dishes I enjoyed as far back as when I was two years old. This ability not only makes it easier for me to create new dishes but also guides me in choosing the perfect ingredients. Constant tasting is essential for my process, yet often, I can envision the sensations and flavors of recipe fusions I’ve never tried before, all thanks to this unique palate memory.”
It wasn’t until a digestif was served that I realized the evening had continued well past midnight. Chef Max’s passionate interpretation of his art made for a voracious desire to not see his performance end. At only eight seats with two nightly seatings, this immersive dining experience contributes little to Mr. Hospitality’s bottom line. Yet the prestige factor, the bragging rights of those lucky enough to score a seat, and the FOMO of those left on the outside looking in, offers much more valuable currency.
This carefully curated scarcity functions as a subtle yet effective marketing strategy, with each diner becoming an ambassador, spreading tales of their evening atop Queen Miami Beach under the care of a master. For those unable to make the same ascension, the restaurant below offers the next best thing. And that is where Mr. Hospitality reaps the renumeration of Chef Max’s legendary expertise.
Airbnb Experiences: Redefining Travel Through An Immersive Dining Experience
My last immersive dining experience during Miami Art Week came by invitation of Airbnb, in a one-of-a-kind Experience with culinary artist, Caique Tizzi. Experiences is Airbnb’s latest initiative, celebrating the spirit of the places their guests visit to redefine the company’s value beyond lodging.
As Natalie Shalk, global consumer communications lead at Airbnb, explained, “Airbnb’s partnership with Art Basel underscores our commitment to making unique accommodations and authentic cultural experiences more accessible to travelers everywhere. These experiences were thoughtfully curated to engage art, design, and culture enthusiasts, and invite them to explore the vibrant cultural landscape that has established Greater Miami as a global nexus for creativity.”
Set in a hidden pop-up restaurant within Art Basel’s Collector’s Lounge, the afternoon unfolded in an act of culinary theater—a multisensory journey exploring pineapple as a colonial legacy, cacao’s sacred role in Mesoamerican traditions, and cassava’s journey beyond the Amazon. Tizzi is known for his fusion of art, gastronomy and storytelling, using food chronicles to transport guests through time and across continents.
“Sharing stories creates a common ground and food is our common denominator,” Tizzi explained. “I try to share my fascination with our ongoing relationship with nature and how we have been traveling as well as our ideas that transformed us, the plants, the species, our society. Food is an angle to navigate through these interconnected ideas.”
After a roasted abacaxi starter and pineapple welcome drink, Tizzi walked nine of us through five courses in his ongoing investigation of Tropical Anthology. This exploration of ancient and traditional recipes made in context of the modern world mirrors his desire to bring the past into dialogue with the present. In such dishes as Moqueca, a confluence of African and Brazilian gastronomic traditions in a rich coconut seafood stew, and Mole Negro, a cacao-based sauce rooted in intergenerational Mesoamerican mores, we find an archival legacy preserving the people and places they represent.
“Anthology is a collection of stories, poems, and songs,” he shared, “and I believe that some dishes have the capacity to play that role.”
Tizzi viewed the collaboration with Airbnb as an opportunity to reach diverse audiences and tell his stories in an intimate setting with people eager to experience his anthropological examination of food. “This format is interesting because every day is different—new groups, new interactions, new stories. For me, food is our common denominator. Through food, you can have accessible conversations about history, politics, and culture.”
The marketing takeaway here is Airbnb’s creation of an additional revenue stream through curated Experiences. In the absence of a hotel concierge to help a traveler plan their localized exploration, the guest can immediately book Experiences alongside their accommodations. The more unique and immersive the experience, the greater likelihood Airbnb’s expanded offering factors into a decision to choose an Airbnb property over a hotel. And for those already familiar with Experiences from their past travels, Airbnb now becomes a source for new discoveries in their home city.
“Every time I work with Tropical Anthology, since it’s an ongoing investigation, I try to understand the local context and how to bring it in direct connection with the place I’m doing it,” noted Tizzi. “In Miami, for example, since it has such an important relationship with Meso and South America, for its population and food culture, I bring as protagonists ingredients that are indigenous to these latitudes, like corn, cassava, pineapple and cacao. They are all coming originally from Latin American lands.”
The Emotions of an Immersive Dining Experience
We now arrive at the fine point of a well-curated immersive dining experience. The emotional resonance, whether convenience, prestige, adventure, or simply a pleasurable tickle of the senses, translates to repeat business as the customer seeks to capture once more the delight of all previous encounters.
When we speak of luxury and consider what makes consumers spend more on something that can be had for less, it’s never really about the price. It’s the value they place on the experience. The more curated, the more personal the experience, the greater the perceived worth. And the more painstakingly crafted the affair, as is the case with immersive dining experiences, the more likely the customer will do your marketing for you, spreading the word and returning with friends who inevitably become future patrons.