Olaf Growald
The parable of a man drowning in flood waters was at the fore of Brent Johnson’s consideration when weighing whether to sell his RM Restaurant Group to a California company seeking a footprint in Texas.
The story goes like this: A devoutly Christian man in distress in floodwaters refuses three rescue attempts, telling men in two different boats and a helicopter pilot that he didn’t need their help because God would save him.
In the end, the man does not survive the flood. Afterward, the man meets God at the gates of Heaven. Slightly annoyed, the faithful man asks God why He didn’t intervene.
“I did,” God says. “I sent two boats and a helicopter.”
Johnson says he felt like that guy when confronted with an offer to sell the six existing Rio Mambo and The Rim restaurant concepts, plus a planned 10,000-square-foot Rio Mambo location inside the Hard Rock Casino and Resort in Tulsa to Xperience Restaurant Group.
“I thought, ‘God is telling me something here that I really need to listen,’” says Johnson, who indeed agreed to a sale that was announced earlier this month and that had been in the works since November.
Terms remained undisclosed, though Johnson says XRG went above and beyond the price he needed to pull the trigger.
Johnson felt like the man in distress because XRG had made a pass in 2018 that he “politely declined.” The toughest years of professional life, aka, the pandemic shutdown and partial openings and capacity, mandates, and all the rest, ensued only to be followed by the healthiest two years of the company, Johnson says.
“I told my wife and kids and staff [during the pandemic] that we still control our own story,” Johnson says. “We can crawl into a hole or we can come out and be the very best in this environment.
“I’m always optimistic. I never say quit. I don’t have a white flag in my closet.”
In November, an even more motivated XRG returned to ask if Johnson were interested in a deal.
“I told my wife, that’s what I feel like,” Johnson says of parable and two boats and a helicopter. “It’s not a different company. It’s the same company. Their posture has changed. Now I know more about the company and who they are and how they operate.”
Done deal. Well, it was a done deal after plenty of deliberating with family and, yes, the big man upstairs.
“Basically, they said if we’re going to come here [to Texas] we want to do it with you guys,” Johnson says. “These guys were genuinely invested in growing both concepts.”
All of RM Restaurant Group’s employees will stay on, including the general managers and Johnson’s daughter, Mallori Schick, who will oversee all six of the local Rio Mambo and The Rim locations as XRG’s regional vice president. Schick’s role had evolved to the point she was running much of the business day-to-day, Johnson says.
The Rim is XRG’s first non-Mexican concept, Johnson says.
“They’re really excited about the growth of that concept,” Johnson says. “They realize the growth potential it has.”
Johnson has a transitional agreement with XRG, agreeing to stay on for a period of six months to ensure a smooth transition.
Johnson was a 2021 Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneurs of Excellence winner.
Johnson discovered his calling in hospitality after leaving the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After taking a job in the food service industry, “I immediately became attracted to every aspect of the industry. Competitiveness, business strategy, team building, training, development, and creativity.”
He eventually became disillusioned with the business-first mentality of the industry and developed a people-first business philosophy.
“The fact that I could pay someone to wash dishes for $6 per hour did not mean that I should, no more than charging someone $10 for a margarita when everyone still wins by charging $7.50,” he says. “I wanted to create a company where relationships mattered. First, last, and always.”
That is the mentality of XRG. “These guys get it,” he says.
XRG’s corporate culture “is about as close to ours as I could ever wish for.”
“They’re concerned about their staff, taking care of their staff, growing from within first and, obviously, taking care of their guests. And they can’t take care of their guests without first taking care of their staff.”
Johnson opened his first Rio Mambo in 2001. He added locations in Burleson, Colleyville, and Weatherford. The Rim, a newer concept that specializes in homestyle-inspired dishes, has a store in Fort Worth’s Waterside development and another in Burleson.
XRG has been exploring opportunities to expand its national footprint, including an entryway into Texas. The company’s brands include SOL Mexican Cocina, Solita Tacos & Margaritas, Las Brisas, and its longest running brand, El Torito.
“We are honored to welcome founder Brent Johnson and the Johnson family to our family of restauranteurs,” says Randy Sharpe, CEO of XRG. “We look forward to continuing the rich legacy of the Rio Mambo and The Rim restaurants and remaining highly engaged members of the communities in which they operate.”
Even after his transitional contract expires in August, Johnson says he’ll still be around as an informal consultant. He won’t be “nosey,” he says, but if they need something, he’ll be just a phone call away.
“I’m still invested in the success of both brands,” he says.
Sitting around the house with both feet up on a coffee table in retirement isn’t exactly Johnson’s style. There’s lots of spark left in this sixty-something entrepreneur.
He wants to write a book, but he is also endeavoring on a development project with his son in Oklahoma.
The two closed on 21 lake properties on Sardis Lake along Oklahoma Highway 2 in southeastern Oklahoma. They plan to build 16 homes and an event center for weddings, receptions, and the like.
It’s clear that the sale of RM Restaurant Group is merely the closing of one chapter.