RH 25: Here to Serve Restaurants

The Sushi Roll at Goldfish

Atlanta

Annual sales: Approximately $45 million

Units: 12

Key personnel:
• Tom Catherall, owner, president & chef
• David Abes, director of operations
• Debbie Horn, c.f.o.

Single concepts:
• Prime (steak and sushi)
• Twist (sushi, tapas, Mediterranean and more)
• Goldfish (Seafood)
• Shout (DJs, dancing and an eclectic menu)
• Strip (industrial steakhouse with sushi)
• Aja (Asian)
• Cantina (fun Mexican)
• Coast (casual seafood)

Mexican concept Cantina

Multiple locations:
• Noche (tapas with four locations around Atlanta)

Upcoming projects:
• Smash (Americana menu, just outside Atlanta)
• Shucks (oyster and wine bar)
• Fly Burger (gourmet burgers at the Atlanta airport)

Why it’s cool

Here to Serve has a simple approach, from its one-word restaurant names to its founder’s mantra: “I want the masses, not the classes,” Tom Catherall has often said. His casual-dining empire in Atlanta has never been about getting three-star reviews and diners wearing three-piece suits. He’d rather make friends and money, and he’s done plenty of both. Annual sales hover around $45 million and his loyalty program—Friends of Tom—now has 75,000 members. Those friends, the masses, come not just for the food, but also the fun. “We call it ‘eatertainment,’” says director of operations David Abers. “We have fun and want our guests to feel like they are on vacation when they join us.” The eclectic portfolio provides plenty of options—steaks, sushi, seafood, Asian, Mexican and more—for a good holiday, as the English-born Catherall might say. Here to Serve has proven masters at multiconcept. The lesson? Keep it simple, stupid.

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