Who We Are

QED Hospitality is a restaurant operations management group, focused on running Food & Beverage operations in boutique hotels nationally.

We bring our operational acumen to the table, developing and managing restaurants tailored to the hotel, the region and the demands of the market. These are not cookie cutter concepts, but true restaurants born of the region and based on our history.

Brian Landry and Emery Whalen Headshot

Brian Landry, Chef/Owner

Chef Brian Landry, born and bred in the vibrant heart of New Orleans, is a passionate advocate for the regional foodways of Louisiana. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama before pursuing his passion for culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts. This educational foundation set the stage for his career, blending rigorous science with creative culinary techniques. After his acclaimed tenure as Executive Chef at the legendary Galatoire's Restaurant from 2005 to 2011, he opened the seafood-focused restaurant, Borgne, a 2013 James Beard Awards semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant. In 2017 he co-founding QED Hospitality with Emery Whalen. 

Brian has been honored with the American Culinary Federation’s 50 Best Chefs award, as well as the Jamie Shannon Outstanding Chef Award by the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation. He lives in New Orleans and has proudly represented the city on various national and international stages.

Emery Whalen, CEO/Owner

Emery Whalen was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the city’s rich culinary traditions and her grandmother’s cooking inspired a passion for both food and the preservation of the region’s indigenous culture. After graduating from Princeton, Emery taught French and Spanish to public high school students before falling in love with the restaurant industry in 2010. She also served as a founding director of a foundation providing scholarships to minority recipients for Culinary School and micro-loans to local farmers. In 2017, with business partner Brian Landry, she founded QED Hospitality, which currently operates nine bars and restaurants across New Orleans, Nashville, and along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Emery serves as Treasurer for the Louisiana Restaurant Foundation, and is also on the board of their Education Foundation. She has been named a Forbes "30 Under 30" and lives in New Orleans.