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Sam Bakhshandehpour on Bilt, José Andrés and the Rainy Monday Problem

Bilt’s president of merchants talks about the family dinner table, what he learned beside José Andrés and why a company built on rent cares where you eat.

For 15 years, Sam Bakhshandehpour ran restaurants. As global CEO of José Andrés Group, he took the chef’s cooking well beyond its dining rooms: to Formula 1 in Las Vegas, Capital One’s airport lounges, Simon malls and hotels from Nashville to Miami. He also licensed the Andrés name into media and consumer products.

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Now he works for a company that began with rent. After two years as an adviser, Bakhshandehpour joined Bilt full-time this year as president of merchants. He oversees its partnerships across dining, travel, hotels and fitness, steering what members spend toward the restaurants and businesses near where they live. Founder Ankur Jain built Bilt by giving members points on their biggest monthly bill. It now has more than 7 million active members, and it raised $250 million at a $10.75 billion valuation in July 2025. Next year, Bilt opens its own café and event space at its Meatpacking District headquarters, designed by........

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