Rio Bravo Cantina

Rio Bravo Cantina was a Tex-Mex restaurant brand created in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-1980s. The first location opened in the Buckhead section of Atlanta in May 1985. The concept was developed by Ray Schoenbaum together with Innovative Restaurant Concepts Inc. and was built around full-service Mexican and Tex-Mex dining, including dishes accompanied by the chain’s widely recognized cheese dip and salsa. The chain expanded beyond the Atlanta area into a number of markets in the southern United States and Michigan. Its locations included restaurants in and around Atlanta, as well as sites in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Lansing, Livonia, and Taylor, Michigan; Orlando, Tallahassee, and Tampa, Florida; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A similarly named family-owned restaurant in Hendersonville, Tennessee was not part of the official Rio Bravo chain. Rio Bravo’s corporate history was closely tied to larger restaurant operators. In 1994, Applebee’s acquired Innovative Restaurant Concepts for approximately $66 million in a transaction involving stock and assumed debt. At the time, Innovative operated 11 Rio Bravo Cantinas and four other restaurants. Applebee’s later sold the Rio Bravo concept to Chevys Fresh Mex on February 11, 1999, for $53 million in cash plus $6 million in assumed debt. After the Chevys transaction, the two chains’ menus were combined for supply and marketing purposes. The change affected signature elements of the Rio Bravo experience, including its cheese dip and salsa. According to the brand’s historical account, the broad menu changes weakened the chain’s identity and contributed to its decline. Chevys converted or closed all remaining Rio Bravo restaurants in December 2002, ending the brand’s first operating period. The concept was revived more than a decade later. Ray Schoenbaum confirmed in November 2014 that Rio Bravo would return to the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the relaunch took place in August 2015. The revival was short-lived: the reopened restaurant operated for roughly 18 months before Rio Bravo’s final location, known as Ray’s Rio Bravo, permanently closed on February 15, 2017. No current operating company, public website, or active successor chain is identified in the available reference material.

Rio Bravo Cantina originated in Atlanta, Georgia, as a Tex-Mex restaurant concept created by Ray Schoenbaum in partnership with Innovative Restaurant Concepts Inc. Its first restaurant opened in the Buckhead area in May 1985. The concept was designed as a full-service Mexican-style restaurant and became associated with a casual-dining menu and signature accompaniments, particularly cheese dip and salsa. During its first period of operation, Rio Bravo expanded from its Atlanta base into several southern and Midwestern markets. The chain had restaurants in suburban Atlanta and operated locations in Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Its footprint included Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Lansing, Livonia, and Taylor in Michigan; Orlando, Tallahassee, and Tampa in Florida; Asheville and Charlotte in North Carolina; and Nashville and Murfreesboro in Tennessee. A family-owned restaurant called Rio Bravo Mexican Grill in Hendersonville, Tennessee was separate from the official chain. The brand became part of a larger corporate restaurant portfolio in 1994, when Applebee’s acquired Innovative Restaurant Concepts for about $66 million in stock and debt. Innovative operated 11 Rio Bravo restaurants and four other restaurants at the time. The acquisition placed Rio Bravo under the ownership of a larger casual-dining company, but the concept was subsequently sold. On February 11, 1999, Applebee’s transferred Rio Bravo to Chevys Fresh Mex in a deal valued at $53 million in cash plus $6 million in assumed debt. Chevys integrated the two brands’ menus for supply and marketing purposes. The integration changed products that had helped distinguish Rio Bravo, including its cheese dip and salsa. The resulting menu overhaul is described in the historical record as a factor in the chain’s decline. In December 2002, Chevys converted or closed all Rio Bravo restaurants, bringing the original chain to an end. The brand later received a second life through its original creator. On November 6, 2014, Ray Schoenbaum confirmed plans to revive Rio Bravo in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The relaunch occurred in August 2015. This second operating period was brief, lasting about 18 months. The final operation, Ray’s Rio Bravo, closed permanently on February 15, 2017. Rio Bravo Cantina is therefore a defunct restaurant brand with two distinct operating periods: an original chain that ran from 1985 until the 2002 closures and a revival that ran from 2015 until 2017.

• 2017

  Final closure

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Ray's Rio Bravo permanently closed on February 15, ending the brand's revival.

• 2015

  Brand relaunched

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Rio Bravo returned to operation in August as a revived Atlanta-area restaurant concept.

• 2014

  Revival announced

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Ray Schoenbaum confirmed plans to bring the Rio Bravo concept back to the Atlanta metropolitan area.

• 2002

  Original chain ends

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Chevys converted or closed all Rio Bravo restaurants in December, ending the original chain.

• 1999

  Rio Bravo sold to Chevys Fresh Mex

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Applebee's sold the Rio Bravo concept to Chevys Fresh Mex for cash and assumed debt.

• 1994

  Innovative Restaurant Concepts acquired by Applebee's

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  Applebee's acquired Innovative Restaurant Concepts, the company associated with Rio Bravo, in a transaction involving stock and debt.

• 1985

  First Rio Bravo Cantina opens in Atlanta

  [1]Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org

  The first Rio Bravo Cantina opened in the Buckhead section of Atlanta in May, launching the Tex-Mex restaurant concept.

A full-service Tex-Mex casual-dining concept centered on Mexican-style food, restaurant hospitality, and distinctive accompaniments such as cheese dip and salsa.

• Restaurant menu · 1985

  Rio Bravo Tex-Mex menu

  The brand offered full-service Tex-Mex and Mexican-style restaurant meals across its original chain and later revival. The available historical material does not provide a complete item-by-item menu, but identifies the concept as a casual-dining restaurant and specifically associates it with cheese dip and salsa.

• Appetizer or accompaniment

  Cheese dip

  Cheese dip was one of Rio Bravo's best-known signature offerings. It helped distinguish the chain before the menu integration carried out after Chevys Fresh Mex acquired the concept in 1999.

• Condiment or accompaniment

  Salsa

  Salsa was another product specifically associated with the Rio Bravo identity. The historical account states that the salsa, like the cheese dip, was changed after the Chevys acquisition.

• 2015

  Relaunch the Rio Bravo conceptProduct launch

  Background

  Ray Schoenbaum announced in 2014 that the Atlanta-area concept would return after the original chain had ended.

  Action taken

  A revived Rio Bravo operation opened in August 2015.

  Aftermath

  The relaunch lasted approximately 18 months before the final restaurant closed in February 2017.

  Source

• 2002

  Convert or close all remaining Rio Bravo restaurantsStrategy

  Background

  Chevys Fresh Mex had integrated Rio Bravo's menu with its own supply and marketing systems, while the chain was experiencing decline.

  Action taken

  Chevys converted or closed all Rio Bravo restaurants in December 2002.

  Aftermath

  The original Rio Bravo chain ceased operating.

  Source

• 1999

  Sell the Rio Bravo concept to Chevys Fresh MexM&A

  Background

  After Applebee's acquired Innovative Restaurant Concepts in 1994, the Rio Bravo concept was transferred to another restaurant operator in 1999.

  Action taken

  Applebee's sold Rio Bravo to Chevys Fresh Mex for $53 million in cash plus $6 million in assumed debt.

  Aftermath

  Chevys combined the brands' menus for supply and marketing purposes, after which Rio Bravo's signature products and overall identity changed.

  Transaction consideration. $53 million cash plus $6 million assumed debt (February 11, 1999)

  Source

1. 1Rio Bravo Cantinaen.wikipedia.org