CEOSURFER
After losing a fortune in the 1990s, Randy Schoch of Ruth’s Chris rebounds as the owner of a growing restaurant empire. Randy Schoch disdains labels. Don’t call him the “Rambo” of fine
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Randy Schoch disdains labels. Don’t call him the “Rambo” of fine dining. Don’t say he’s the “Donald Trump” of the dining deal. Schoch (pronounced “shock”) is his own man and, with 35 years of success and experience in the restaurant business, he has earned the right to a designation of his own.
In fact, upstarts would do well to aspire to be the “Randy Schoch” of the restaurant business. It’s a mark of distinction and an indication that you’re well-versed in the art of the restaurant deal. Schoch is considered one of the best restaurant-concept minds in the business.
As the CEO of Desert Islands Restaurants LLC, Schoch, 51, is embarking on the next level of his career by sharing his knowledge and success with others. He’s developing new restaurants now as a franchisor.
What could be better than starting a food service business with most of the guesswork and risk taken out of it? And if it has the Randy Schoch touch of genius, so much the better.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at how this surfer dude got into the restaurant game, how he facilitated fame and fortune with well-known brands such as Nick’s Fishmarket and the Black Orchid, and how he rebounded from near bankruptcy. He had to leave Hawaii to come back strong.
As we walk with him to the beach for a surfing break, he reflects on the wave he’s been riding professionally, what it’s like on the crest of success today, and why he’d never bring a Chinese restaurant to Hawaii.
He tells us that like surfing, paddling out in the deep water of business is laborious at first, but once you have momentum and catch a wave, the ride is exhilarating.
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Schoch grew up in Southern California and began working as a busboy at Irvine’s award-winning Chanteclair restaurant while attending Orange Coast College. In the mid-‘70s, he moved to Honolulu, enrolled in Chaminade College as a business major and worked as a busboy.
During the next 20 years, he moved up the ladder of success to become owner of three restaurants: Nick’s Fishmarket, the Black Orchid and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. He partnered with restaurateur Rex Chandler and actor Tom Selleck as proprietors of the Black Orchid at Restaurant Row.
By age 32 he was a millionaire. With his new-found wealth, he built a $1.8 million palace in paradise at the top of Hawaii Loa Ridge with a view that stretched from Koko Head to the Ewa plains.
But during the recession of the ‘90s he watched the number of tourists dwindle and the real estate market crash. To keep afloat, he sold his BMW, the Black Orchid and his home on the hill.
“I chased the market all the way down,” he says. “Here I was driving a $60,000 BMW with a $1.8 million house, and I couldn’t afford a refrigerator. I had to bring ice home from the restaurant so we could have milk for the kids.
“It was a painful lesson when things tanked on me. I had to leave Hawaii because I could-n’t raise any capital, and the economy was bad.”
With change came opportunity. He was asked to join Ruth’s Chris Steak House Inc. as regional vice president. Schoch, wife Cheri and children Randall and Victoria moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. He oversaw the largest region in the late Ruth Fertel’s restaurants and became a franchise owner of Ruth’s Chris at Restaurant Row.
The premier Honolulu location celebrates its 20th anniversary next year. Ruth’s Chris’ fifth location, at Waikiki Beach Walk, observes its first anniversary this month.
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Along the way, Schoch partnered with Roy Yamaguchi to bring Roy’s Hawaiian fusion concept to the Southwest. Roy’s of Scottsdale debuted in 1998 and was a hit from opening day. Eight months later, he opened Ruth’s Chris in Lahaina.
To run his growing restaurant empire, he founded Desert Island Restaurants, which provides management services for the operations.
Today, Schoch runs five Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in Hawaii, Romano Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana Center, and two Ling and Louie Asian Bar & Grill concepts on the Mainland.
“There’s nothing like a whup-ping to teach you a lesson,” Schoch says of his comeback. “You are only as good as your last performance. I learned not to take anything for granted.
“Failure can come from reading your own press,” he admits. “People tell you you’re doing
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