Lane Harlan

37, Owner; Clavel, W.C. Harlan, Fadensonnen and The Coral Wig

Lane Harlan admits that picking one title to encompass the scope of her work can be a tricky endeavor. “Restaurateur” doesn’t quite cut it — she owns one restaurant, Clavel, but also several bars (W.C. Harlan, Fadensonnen and The Coral Wig). “Owner,” on the other hand, doesn’t really convey the role she plays in each of her projects. “You can be an owner and not have anything to do with your menus, which isn’t the case with me,” Harlan says.

Harlan is intimately involved in the details of all of her businesses, from the decor to the drinks list. A little more than a decade after opening her first bar, she’s hit her stride, landing features in national publications like Bon Appétit and earning a James Beard nomination for the mezcal program at Clavel. The allure is the experience she creates, whether she’s channeling Oaxaca, Mexico, or an officer’s club in the Philippines. “At the heart of everything we do is giving people the feeling that they are anywhere else,” she says.

Harlan and her husband and business partner, Matthew Pierce, tend to get the itch to dream up a new concept every two years; fittingly, they’re aiming to unveil their next experience — a small hotel in the fishing village of Lastres, Spain — in 2026.

— Amanda Yeager