2014 RH 25: The coolest multi-concept companies

Top multiconcept operators

• Vetri Family
• Mercadito Hospitality
• Apheleia Restaurant Group
• The Genuine Hospitality Group
• Block 16 Hospitality
• Cornerstone Restaurant Group
• Altamarea Group
• Rockit Ranch Productions
• Bread & Butter Concepts
• Major Food Group
• Table 301
• Crafted Concepts
• CH Projects
• Barbara Lynch Gruppo
• Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group
• Tom Douglas Restaurants
• Ethan Stowell Restaurants
• Andy Ricker Restaurants
• Little Wisco
• One Five Hospitality
• Rocket Farm Restaurants
• DMK Restaurants
• Foodshed
• 1933 Group
• Southern Restaurant Group

RH writes about the “cool factor” frequently because everyone loves hanging out in cool restaurants. It’s that simple ... and not so simple. If creating a restaurant with the “it” factor was easy, every restaurant would be cool. We all know they’re not.

Now imagine being a multi-concept restaurant company that aims to deliver that certain something for all its restaurants. It’s difficult enough to create one restaurant that attracts lines of customers before it’s ever open. Envision doing it over and over again. What you’ll find on the following pages are multi-concept companies that do just that—deliver the cool factor, one restaurant after another.

For the purposes of this feature, we stayed away from the ginormous companies with ridiculously deep pockets. The companies we feature here are ones on the rise and not Goliaths like Lettuce Entertain You, Patina Restaurant Group and the like. So check them out. You may learn something about how to deliver cool, which will make your accountant very happy.

Because there's a lot to read here, we've split up The Cool 25 into five sections. Each week we will give you profiles of five multi-concept companies, in no particular order of importance. So, be cool and read on.

—The Editors