How did Nick Kokonas use the eGullet forum to launch Alinea?

Before Alinea opened, Nick Kokonas posted its planning in public on the food forum eGullet as the Alinea Project, covering names considered and rejected, menu development and long essays on topics like bread. He says he wanted feedback and future customers. The posts drew hundreds of thousands of views and press interest from outlets including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and chef Sean Brock was the first customer through the door.

• Kokonas says the restaurant would have had no chance of the same start without the public posts.
• He built a one-tab universal restaurant calculator of about 80 cells because restaurant books taught him little.
• His rule: being open about why you are doing something wins, as long as it is authentic.

▸In their words

“I was like, let's just open source the whole business plan.” Nick Kokonas · at 58:43 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on My First Million (2026-10-26). Read the whole episode summary →

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