RAYMOND HALDEMAN BIO
1-866-735-3582
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Raymond Haldeman has been profiled in The NY Times, Money Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Robb Report, Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, Town & Country, Hospitality Design, Food Service News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Magazine, The Courier Post, Ocean Drive Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Main Line Times, The Palm Beach Post, Clematis Magazine, Restaurant News and Parade Magazine to mention more than a few!
Mr. Haldeman was twice awarded both YEO's and ACE's Award as one of the, "Top 100 Entrepreneurs in America."
He was the 1st recipient of the “Business Leadership Award” from The Center City Association of Proprietors in Philadelphia.
Raymond Haldeman on the construction site of the NEW Cuzin’s Seafood Bar in New Brunswick, NJ scheduled to open in early 2022.
He served as a Board of Director of The Philadelphia Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and as a Board of Director of The Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Council.
As a Society Caterer & Restaurateur, prior to his career as a Restaurant Designer, Haldeman catered parties and major events for an impressive list of the world’s most prominent people including 2 American Presidents, The Royal Family and a roster of Fortune 500 Companies.
As an on air personality he has hosted TV shows and TV segments on entertaining and created events with icons of the food industry including Martha Stewart & Jacques Pepin. He recently hosted "Restaurant Reviews with Raymond Haldeman" on ROKU's Travel Channel, TV America.
Today with over 70 upscale Restaurant Design jobs under his belt Haldeman is the leading entrepreneurial authority on Bar, Restaurant & Nightclub design in the country. His latest restaurant design and rebranding projects include the “new” Cuzins Clam Bar under construction in Brick, NJ, the total renovation and rebranding of the Pilot House, now Fins Bar & Grille, in Cape May, NJ, and The Olde Silver Tavern in Manalapan, NJ, Beacon 70 in Brick, NJ and Naxos Estiatorio in Woodland Park, NJ. (see Raymonds Designs)
Raymond Haldeman Bio
Celebrity French Chef Jacques Pepin as guest chef with Raymond
at the Raymond Haldeman Restaurant in Philadelphia to promote
his cook book. Photo: New York Times
Raymond Haldeman started at the bottom — literally clearing tables as a teenage busboy at The Garden Restaurant in Philadelphia. By 19 he'd worked his way into the kitchen, pumping out 300 to 400 covers a day as a chef, then changing into a jacket to run the room as Maître d' at night. At 21, he landed a job most chefs twice his age would envy: Chef and Catering Director aboard The Arara III, the corporate entertaining yacht of international conglomerate ITW, where he coordinated events alongside the country's top caterers and cooked for some of the most notable CEOs in the world.
Raymond Haldeman at his Palm Beach nightclub "Eden" with Broadway Producer Terry Allen Kramer and Rocker Rod Stewart. Photo: Palm Beach Post
That front-row education — working hand in hand with the best in the business — gave him the knowledge and the nerve to strike out on his own. Operating out of his apartment, he grossed $1 million in his first year and landed on the cover of Money Magazine. Within a few years he was one of the leading corporate and society caterers in the country.
Raymond parlayed that success into a string of well-publicized restaurants and nightclubs in Philadelphia, South Beach, Palm Beach, and San Juan, Puerto Rico — every one of them conceived, designed, and operated by him. As demand for his eye grew, so did his role. Operators began seeking him out: established owners who wanted to fine-tune their businesses and add real "wow-factor" to their rooms, and new operators who wanted to open on solid ground and build a buzz around the experience itself.
His career as a bar and restaurant designer grew organically and fast, and he quickly became one of the country's leading authorities on restaurant design and rebranding. But what truly sets him apart is the same thing that always has: he's a hands-on operator. Beyond creating new concepts and functional designs with wow-factor, Raymond brings a credible, lived-in perspective on management, marketing, promotion, and day-to-day operations — the things that determine whether a beautiful room actually succeeds.
Today
Raymond Haldeman at “NAXOS ESTIATORIO” an upscale Greek Bar & Restaurant which he designed.
Today, Haldeman is busier than ever, with demand for his hospitality design and consulting services at an all-time high. He's carved out a niche serving independent owner/operators, delivering concepts engineered to excite — and to leave an indelible impression on every guest who walks in. The result is an added layer of expertise that elevates both the function and the profitability of every businesses he touches.
If you're building a new venture or rebranding an existing one and need direction, call Raymond for a personal, one-on-one phone consultation, free of charge. He works directly with every client — and he'd be happy to hear from you.
1-866-735-3582
OVER THE YEARS
Philadelphia Phillies Baseball Team owner Bill Giles poses with Society Caterer Raymond Haldeman and the 600LB French Chocolate Cake with Strawberries he created for the Philadelphia Phillies at Bills' private reception for the team and 1200 guests.
(photo, Philadelphia Inquirer)
Raymond Haldeman (left) with Glorious Foods Author Christopher Idone at The Raymond Haldeman Restaurant at Front & Walnut Streets in Philadelphia's Society Hill
(photo, The New York Times)
Raymond Haldeman at the Grand Opening of his design "Cuzin's Clam Bar" in Marlboro, NJ in September 2016
Restaurant Designer Raymond Haldeman at the new ViaSposito Italian Restaurant in Colts Neck, NJ. It is the 3rd ViaSposito that he has design.
Today Haldeman is one of leading entrepreneurial authorities on Bar, Restaurant & Nightclub design and operation in the country. His latest restaurant design and rebranding projects pictured below include the total renovation and rebranding of the 15 acre Timber Breeze Lakefront Resort on Butternut Lake in Wisconsin's Northwoods, the total renovation and rebranding of the Pilot House, now Fins Bar & Grille, owned by the iconic Peter Shields Inn in Cape May, NJ, the design of Cuzin's Clam Bar in Marlboro, NJ and the new Cuzin’s in New Brunswick, NJ. Haldeman also designed Beacon 70 on the marina in Brick NJ, NAXOS in Woodland Park and the recently renovated River Rock in Brick, NJ
Raymond Haldeman in his hometown of Philadelphia with lifelong friend Lisa Witomski
Raymond Haldeman, 2022 at the “new” Cuzin’s in New Brunswick, NJ
Raymond’s nightclub in Palm Beach spiced up the HIGH SOCIETY social scene back in the 2000’s.
Raymond at “Kitchen American Grill” with Kathleen Palella 2023
Raymond Haldeman in 2023 with his first Chef, Melanie Mele who helped him launch his Catering business…many years ago!
Raymond Haldeman with the Esposito family at the Grand Opening oh their new restaurant ViaSposito in Old Bridge, NJ in 2019
Raymond at a restaurant design job site
Haldeman stopped in at “The Olde Silver Tavern” (January 2024) in Manalapan where the patrons are loving the giant 14’ Chandeliers he designed.
Haldeman with his Mother Dolores Haldeman, Salem Oak Vineyard Winery owners Mark & Julia Cassidy and Penns Grove Businessman Andy Plaggie having dinner at Cuzins, (January 2024) a popular restaurant he designed in New Brunswick, NJ.
