Empellón Expands Partnership with Bilt to Connect Its Midtown Restaurant with Local Communities and Create New Guest Experiences Through Bilt Neighborhood OS

Chef Alex Stupak’s acclaimed restaurant group to launch Bilt Neighborhood OS at its Midtown flagship, building on existing capabilities to attract new guests, unlock neighborhood spending power, and create personalized dining experiences

NEW YORK — Nov. 10, 2026 — Empellón, the acclaimed New York City restaurant group led by Chef Alex Stupak, today announced an expanded partnership with Bilt, the neighborhood commerce and rewards platform, to deepen its connection with new guests and the surrounding community through the Bilt Neighborhood. The group is launching Bilt Neighborhood OS™ today at its flagship Empellón Midtown restaurant, building on its existing deployment of Bilt Mobile Checkout at the location.

Known for its inventive approach to Mexican-inspired cuisine and commitment to creating distinctive dining experiences, Empellón has built its reputation around culinary creativity, thoughtful service, and a uniquely New York perspective on hospitality. Through Bilt Neighborhood OS, an AI operating system that helps businesses grow by reaching new customers and building loyalty through personalized experiences in their neighborhood, Empellón will build on that foundation by creating new ways to connect with nearby residents, office workers, hotel guests, and other local customers while delivering more personalized dining experiences.

Through the expanded partnership, Empellón Midtown will be able to:

• Reach new guests through neighborhood channels: Connect with Bilt’s growing network spanning 1 in 4 U.S. apartment buildings and more than 50,000 merchant partners, creating new opportunities to reach residents, office workers, hotel guests, and sports fans throughout the neighborhood.

• Tap into neighborhood spending power: Bring incremental spending into the restaurant by connecting with customers who have access to credits, rewards, and benefits through Bilt’s residential, office, hotel, and sports partners.

• Create more seamless and personalized dining experiences: Build on the existing Mobile Checkout experience at Empellón Midtown, which allows guests to view and pay their checks directly from their phones, with Neighborhood OS introducing new opportunities for personalized benefits, guest recognition, and loyalty.

Beyond reaching new guests, the expanded partnership will help Empellón build stronger, lasting customer relationships by connecting Bilt Neighborhood OS with its existing restaurant operations. Bilt’s AI agents work across participating businesses’ existing systems to help enable more seamless guest recognition, personalized offers, and connected hospitality experiences without adding complexity for restaurant teams.

For Empellón Midtown, this creates new opportunities to connect with the people who live, work, and visit the surrounding neighborhood, from local professionals looking for a memorable lunch to guests discovering a new favorite destination for dinner. The partnership also builds on Bilt’s broader membership ecosystem, through which billions of credits from merchants help connect members with benefits and experiences at participating neighborhood businesses.

“At Empellón, we’ve always believed that a great restaurant should offer something unexpected, whether that’s through the food, the atmosphere, or the overall experience,” said Alex Stupak, Chef and Co-Owner of Empellón. “Building on our partnership with Bilt gives us new ways to connect with the people who live and work around our Midtown restaurant while making the guest experience even more seamless and personal. It’s an opportunity to introduce more people to what makes Empellón special and build stronger relationships with the guests who already know us.”

“Great restaurants have always been at the center of great neighborhoods,” said Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO of Bilt. “Alex Stupak has built Empellón into one of New York’s most distinctive dining experiences, bringing creativity and an extraordinary attention to detail to everything the restaurant does. By expanding our partnership through Neighborhood OS, we’re helping Empellón connect with more of the people who live, work, and spend nearby, opening up new opportunities to reach guests, unlock neighborhood spending power, and make hospitality even more personal.”

Bilt’s inaugural State of the Neighborhood Study, conducted with 451 Research by S&P Global, found that two-thirds of U.S. consumers do at least 80% of their everyday spending within 15 miles of their home. Dining is a big part of that: at a median spend of $175 per month among respondents, it’s the second-highest everyday spending category after groceries, and it’s almost entirely in-person. The study also found that 95% of consumers say they would try a local business if they could earn rewards there.

The expanded partnership is launching Bilt Neighborhood OS at Empellón Midtown, located at 510 Madison Avenue in New York City, building on the restaurant’s existing Mobile Checkout experience.

Together, Empellón and Bilt are building on their existing partnership to create a more connected neighborhood dining experience, where restaurants can reach new guests, strengthen loyalty, and make everyday hospitality more personal and rewarding.

About Empellón

Founded in 2011 and led by Chef Alex Stupak, Empellón is a New York City restaurant group known for its inventive approach to Mexican-inspired cuisine and distinctive hospitality experiences. Its portfolio includes the flagship Empellón Midtown, Empellón Taqueria & Bar in the West Village, and Empellón Al Pastor in the East Village. Each concept reflects the group’s commitment to culinary creativity, thoughtful hospitality, and memorable dining experiences. For more information, visit www.empellon.com.

About Bilt

Launched in 2021, Bilt is the membership for where you live and the Neighborhood Operating System (OS) powering everything around it. More than 8.2 million members use Bilt to earn rewards on housing payments, build a path to homeownership, and redeem the highest value rewards currency on the market across travel, dining, fitness, sports, and more. With Neighborhood OS™, the AI platform to help businesses grow through the neighborhood, Bilt connects multifamily property managers, travel advisors, sports organizations, and more than 50,000 merchants nationwide with nearby customers. Bilt powers 1 in 4 U.S. apartment buildings, including those in the Bilt Alliance, built with some of the nation’s largest owners and operators. For more information, visit www.bilt.com and download the Bilt app.