Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc. Hires New General Manager
Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc., has named Steven M. Kim as the new general manager of Five Crowns, its Orange County fine-dining flagship. Kim will also be in charge of the newly opened gastropub, SideDoor. Both are housed in a historic building named North America’s most authentic replica of an English inn.
Kim began his career with Lawry’s in August 2002. He previously served as the assistant general manager of Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Las Vegas and in Beverly Hills, and he assisted in the development of SideDoor, which opened in January. Prior to joining Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc., Kim served as general manager for the Kyoto restaurant at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. He also spent eight years in Japan where he produced several new restaurants around the country for Yamasaki Design Production. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Kim replaces Chris Szechenyi, who has accepted a position with the Capital Grille.
Opened in 1965, Five Crowns features Continental cuisine including U.S.D.A. Prime beef, poultry, fresh fish and seasonal selections. Over the years, the Five Crowns has earned a reputation for serving excellent food and offering a fine and extensive wine list. The building has been noted in guidebooks and historical papers as a landmark. Five Crowns has served generations of loyal customers, many of whom choose it to celebrate the most special occasions of their lives.
The restaurant has earned the Automobile Club of Southern California Four-Diamond Award, the Mobil Travel Guide Four-Star Award, and the DiRoNA Award, marking it as one of the distinguished restaurants of North America. It has also received the Wine Spectator Grand Award, the Southern California Restaurant Writers’ Gold Award, and the Golden Bacchus Award for its wine list.
Five Crowns is a member of the Lawry’s family of fine-dining restaurants, which includes Lawry’s The Prime Rib with locations in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong; and the Tam O’Shanter in Los Angeles. Their quick-service concept, Lawry’s Carvery, opened at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa in 2003. A second Carvery opened at Westfield Century City Dining Terrace in fall 2007, and a third debuted at L.A. LIVE in December 2008. Five Crowns shares its historic building with SideDoor, a gastropub opened in January 2010.
Five Crowns is located at 3801 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. It is open for dinner nightly and for Sunday brunch. Valet parking is available and all major credit cards are accepted. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (949) 760-0331 or at www.LawrysOnline.com.
