Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands expands into Texas

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Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands, which has operated Red Robin Locations throughout the region for more than 30 years and recently expanded into operating Wing Stop locations, is expanding again. 

This time it’s not growing into another brand, but into another part of the country.   

LVRB has now entered into the Texas market with the acquisition of four franchised Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The restaurants were previously owned and operated by Mandes Restaurant Group. 

The acquisition includes four Red Robin franchised restaurants at 229 N. Highway 67 in Cedar Hill, 5031 N. Garland Avenue in Garland, 5731 Long Prairie Road in Flower Mound, and 421 E. Interstate 20 in Arlington. 

With the Dallas-area acquisition, LVRB now operates 24 franchised Red Robin restaurants across two states. 

The acquisition is a significant milestone in extending LVRB’s footprint beyond Pennsylvania and into the Southwest said Mike Axiotis, president and CEO of LVRB. But he said it was also just a good fit. 

“They have a very similar culture to us with long-standing ownership and management,” Axiotis said. “We were attracted to a track record of success and really great people.” 

All Mandes Restaurant Group’s management and more than 200 team members will now operate under LVRB’s leadership. 

Axiotis said the company didn’t take the acquisition lightly. He knew the owner of the Texas restaurants, Bob Mandes, through serving on the Red Robin franchising board. 

Mandes had been looking to retire and was trying to find the right buyer for his restaurants. 

“Initially we had just started our Wing Stop expansion and didn’t know if we had the bandwidth,” Axiotis said. 

But when Mandes failed to find a buyer that suited him, he approached LVRB again, and this time the answer was different. 

“We felt more comfortable as that business became more established,” Axiotis said. 

While he said the Texas restaurants already have strong management and he plans to run them largely the same as they have been, he does plan to bring the community focus that LVRB brings to its restaurants by expanding community outreach efforts in Texas.  

He said operating Red Robin franchised restaurants as a community-driven franchise group has helped it be a great place to work, and he wants that to be a model of operational excellence. 

Texas is far away, but Axiotis said he believes remote technology will help the Lehigh Valley management keep in close contact with Texas management, while LVRB’s deep back-office operations, including marketing, catering and IT departments will help the Texas restaurants grow and thrive. 

Mandes said he thinks LVRB will be a good owner for his former restaurants. 

“I founded Mandes Restaurant Group as a family business built on respect, dignity, and a passion for great hospitality,” said Mandes. “We’ve been proud owners and operators of four franchised Red Robin restaurants, and to work alongside so many dedicated team members and managers who made our success possible.” 

But now that LVRB has dipped its toe into Texas waters, will there be more expansion in that region? 

Axiotis said it’s too soon to say what might be next, and much will depend on the company’s success with the four restaurants it just purchased. 

“But I’d never rule it out,” Axiotis said. “We’re very bullish on the Red Robin brand.”