David Zadikoff is the founder and CEO of Cornerstone Restaurant Group, which provides full-service management, concept development, brand licensing, and consultation to restaurants nationwide, including the iconic Michael Jordan-brand restaurants.
David’s career in hospitality spans more than four decades. Born, raised and educated in South Africa, he earned his post-graduate degree in Hotel Management from the University of Haifa in Israel. After a brief sojourn in England, he moved to Los Angeles and joined Hilton, where he worked his way up to Food and Beverage Director. That role took him to Hiltons in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, and then into overall hotel management for Hyatt.
Over the next decade, David managed Hyatt Regency hotels in New Orleans, Miami and Tampa before landing in Chicago as Vice President of Food and Beverage for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. After 4 years in that position, he decided to shift his focus from hotels to restaurants, laying the foundation for Cornerstone.
In 1991, David and his business partner Jon Albert secured the development rights to open Burger King in Hungary—the country’s first—with dozens more to follow. Cornerstone was founded in 1992 and opened the first Michael Jordan’s Restaurant in Chicago the following year. Cornerstone now manages and oversees Michael Jordan-brand restaurants in Illinois, Connecticut and Oregon as well as ENO Wine Room in Chicago and San Francisco.
The company’s growing ventures with lauded Chicago Chef Bill Kim include urbanbelly and Time Out Market in Chicago, and The Table at Crate, which they opened in 2019 in partnership with global retailer Crate & Barrel. Providing heartfelt hospitality and building community are the core values at Cornerstone, which continues to evolve with David’s son, Josh Zadikoff, now at the helm as President.
David is on the board of the Israel Cancer Research Fund, and a mentor with ICRF’s Visions Young Leadership Board. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, cycling and listening to music.