John Kolaski is president of Patina Restaurant Group, a wholly owned division of global hospitality and entertainment company Delaware North. He is a veteran hospitality leader with more than 30 years of experience building culinary brands and leading restaurant operations.
As president of Patina Restaurant Group, Kolaski is based at Delaware North’s headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y. – with oversight of the company’s portfolio of streetside restaurants and catering operations in high-profile locations such as Downtown Disney, Disney Springs, Walt Disney World, New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.
Kolaski joined Delaware North in 2023 from K2 Restaurants, a Los Angeles-based hospitality group and restaurant incubator that he founded and served as CEO for six years. Under his leadership, K2 Restaurants cultivated 20 company-owned brands poised for expansion through various channels, including brick and mortar, management, licensing and franchising.
Before establishing K2, Kolaski served in successive leadership roles with SBE Entertainment, a global lifestyle hospitality and nightlife company based in Los Angeles. His roles at SBE included chief operating officer for restaurants and president of SBE’s Disruptive Restaurant Group. Prior to that, Kolaski held key food and beverage leadership positions at Montage Hotels and Resorts and The Four Seasons.
Kolaski earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management at Florida International University and an associate’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University in Miami, Fla.