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David Kaplan
World's 50 Best Bars
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
David Kaplan is CEO of Gin & Luck, a position that sits at the junction of brand control, service standards, and operational consistency. In hospitality, that kind of role is less about distance than oversight: holding the shape of the guest experience while keeping the company’s identity intact.
The Path
Training at the Institute of Culinary Education gave David Kaplan the technical base and working discipline that would later support his role in drinks and hospitality. That education helped form the steadiness, attention to detail, and composure expected of someone building and directing complex hospitality businesses. From there, Kaplan moved into founding and co-owning Death & Co and Gin & Luck. Those companies are tied to a precise point of view, and his role in building them shows the work of setting standards, not just operating within them. At that level, concept and execution have to move together: the business, the culture, and the promise all depend on the same disciplined hand.
The Work Today
As CEO of Gin & Luck, David Kaplan’s remit is broad but practical. The job requires attention to the shape of the experience, the tone of the brand, and the systems that keep both consistent as the company grows. In hospitality, leadership is often measured by how well a clear identity survives scale, and that is the territory Kaplan occupies now. His present work reflects a career that has moved from individual authorship into stewardship. At Gin & Luck, the task is not only to build, but to maintain; not only to define standards, but to carry them forward. That is where his reputation sits now: in the ability to hold an operation together without flattening what made it distinct.
Acclaim
Recognition in Kaplan’s career follows the demands of the role itself. At Gin & Luck, the standard is not simply presence but consistency: maintaining care, protecting the company’s point of view, and directing its future without losing the discipline that made it viable in the first place. That standing is tied to the sequence of his work, from training at the Institute of Culinary Education to founding and co-owning Death & Co and Gin & Luck, and then to leading Gin & Luck as CEO. The throughline is not flash; it is authorship sustained over time, with the kind of control that comes from building something deliberately and then continuing to manage what it asks of the trade.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of David
What is David Kaplan's current role?
As of 2026, David Kaplan is CEO.
Where did David Kaplan train or study?
David Kaplan trained at Institute of Culinary Education.
