![xrg restaurant group xrg restaurant group](https://www.xperiencerg.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/chevys-4.9-National-Tequila-Day-1.jpg)
The five-unit chain opened a new unit in February in Irvine, California, and more are in the pipeline, including a location at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Sol is an upscale brand with scratch-made coastal Mexican cuisine and specialty margaritas. But you have all these markets that remember the brand and they want one and they’re very passionate about the brand, and that goes into the homework, too.” “And for whatever reason, typically if brands change hands so many times, you start to see a retraction. “Chevys at one point was throughout the United States prior to Xperience Restaurant Group owning them,” Sharpe says.
![xrg restaurant group xrg restaurant group](https://www.fsrmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_image_720x430/public/2021-02/Torito.jpg)
The deal came to fruition because Chevys had been in the market in the 1980s and 1990s, and almost every day, customers would ask, “Hey, when are you coming back to Vegas?” per Sharpe.
![xrg restaurant group xrg restaurant group](https://dms.licdn.com/video-thumbs/C5605AQF9cW2tE30eXg/dd7b8c80cd46458688d7927d9f5604d7/feedshare-videocover_low/152x270-00001.jpg)
That includes a new flagship restaurant scheduled for the Las Vegas Strip. Sharpe says the chain has tremendous growth potential not only on the West Coast, but also all the way through Washington, D.C., Florida, and the rest of the East Coast. Chevys, a typical full-service concept with fajitas, guacamole, and flautas, has 22 locations, with one recent addition in Orlando’s Mall at Millenia. “We kept our business model intact and when we opened, we were rewarded by our guests tenfold,” he adds.īecause of those brand pillars, XRG finds itself prepared for growth. For XRG, that meant aggressively taking action to protect its team while staying true to its brand values and mission. “Obviously everyone had to go through what they went through in 2020 and handle it however they felt was the best way to handle it,” he says. Guests had come to count on these restaurants as places they knew and loved, and Sharpe didn’t believe change was warranted. Sol and Solita were founded within the past 15 years, but El Torito (1954), Acapulco (1960), and Chevys (1986) have been around for decades. Because of brand legacy, XRG didn’t see any sense in paring down menus. That’s why the company worked as hard as possible to keep managerial staff and remain in touch with hourly employees. READ MORE: Xperience Restaurant Group Didn’t Let COVID-19 Change its Brand The XRG team had “a lot of faith” that dining and celebrations would return, and when it did, restaurants needed to be ready. And by early February 2021, outdoor dining and other options had pushed the system to only single-digit decreases compared to the previous year.Ĭonsidering that journey, then yes, a record year this early into existence should be appreciated, says CEO Randy Sharpe. Matters improved as the group recaptured pre-pandemic numbers. XRG was formed in 2018 after Z Capital spent $47 million to acquire Real Mex Restaurants out of bankruptcy.īut the company-comprising casual-dining brands like El Torito, Chevys Fresh Mex, Acapulco, Sol Cocina, and Solita Tacos & Margaritas-saw sales plummet as much as 85 percent in the early days of COVID. For Xperience Restaurant Group, 2021 was the company’s most successful year on record.