Established in 2008, GGM is an Athenian-based family-owned investment company, that creates, transforms, and operates brands in the hospitality sector, with Chef Ari Vezene as the founder and sole owner of the group. In the span of a decade, the company evolved from a small, cozy, seafood trattoria that operated from 2008 to 2013 on the island of Meganisi, into a portfolio of founder-built restaurant brands including Vezene, the group’s flagship raw bar and open-fire Greek bistro, Birdman Japanese Bar and Grill, the first authentic yakitori grill and record bar in Athens and Ekiben Kitchen, a fast-casual concept inspired by Japan’s railway bento boxes. The group diversified its restaurant portfolio in 2022 with the opening of Ikigai Japanese Market, a new-generation food store offering an extensive variety of authentic products of the Nippon culture. With an inclusive, multicultural, skilled team aligned with a mindset of every day is a new opportunity to grow and make a positive change, GGM has managed to adapt, adjust and steer through turbulent economies and unexpected worldwide turn-on events while continuing to honor their core values and foster the discovery and culture of a sustainable culinary world through brands that create long-lasting connections with guests and deliver their promise of timeless consistency and forward-thinking culinary honesty.
