Dallas hospitality group Imperial Fizz goes all-in on neighborhood restaurant openings
Founder Jon Alexis hits his stride, with two restaurant openings over the past several months and more on the way
March 22, 2023
Jon Alexis — founder of Dallas-based hospitality group Imperial Fizz — might raise some eyebrows when he says he wants to change the world through his restaurants.
But after growing his initial concept — longstanding TJ’s Seafood Market & Grill, which he bought from his parents in 2009 after they took over the Dallas institution a decade earlier — he might be on to something. At the time, TJ’s was a humble neighborhood seafood shop, but Alexis had big plans and took on the role of educator, teaching customers about wild versus farmed fish, the health benefits of Omega-3s, and how to properly cook seafood.
Since then, Alexis has grown the concept into two thriving locations, with a hybrid model that combines a restaurant, market, and catering business. And for eight years, he was solely focused on TJ’s.
“It took me that long before my to-do list was done,” he said.
Now, he’s off and running. In 2017, Alexis opened Malibu Poke, now has three stores in its portfolio-- two in Dallas and one in Austin. In Nov. 2022, he opened Escondido, a Tex-Mex spot in the Preston Royal neighborhood, and in March of this year, he debuted Ramble Room, a classic American grill/restaurant in the historic Snider Plaza shopping center.
While most restaurants open with an idea first, and then find a location to fit that concept, Alexis took the opposite route. He first decided where he wanted to operate, and then he identified what that specific neighborhood was missing.