It’s a major business milestone. Even more so in the volatile restaurant business. This Wednesday, April 14th the Rococo Restaurant and Catering group celebrate a decade of success in OKC. Owner/Chef Bruce Rinehart is a long time friend, the first Golding Group client and community champion.
Rococo is an East Coast style restaurant in the heart of the Midwest. They have two locations, 2825 N. Penn Ave. and 122nd/May Ave. in Northpark Mall. They also have a catering division. Rinehart open the Penn location ten years ago as the chef, head waiter and from house manager. Over the years, Rinehart and the Rococo brand have become a staple of the OKC culinary scene. Rinehart has won multiple “Best Chef” awards and both restaurants have large and loyal followings.
Rinehart has a long and interesting story. He left home in Connecticut at 15 with the idea of being a champion ice sculptor. After getting crushed in his first (and only) competition, Rinehart took his skills to the kitchen of the Coronado Hotel in San Diego, working his way up the food chain (pun intended). Rinehart has also been part of the team that opened the Mohegan Sun casino (one of the largest in the US), the head of culinary for Legal Sea Foods, owner of his own bistro in Connecticut and worked alongside celebrity chef Jasper White.
Rinehart came to Oklahoma City to partner in a restaurant that never happened. He then rented the former Tony’s Italian on Penn Ave. and Rococo was born. Rinehart eventually brought his long time cooking partner Jason Bustamante to OKC to help create his culinary empire. Along the way, Bruce met and married a Oklahoma girl – the lovely Amber.
Since that time, Rococo has become know for fresh seafood, killer pasta and a huge menu of east coast favorites. The Rococo crab cake is the undisputed champion throughout the Midwest and beyond. Three and half years ago, Rinehart and Bustamante opened the second Rococo in Northpark Mall. Described as bigger and brighter, this restaurant also includes a private dining room, a chef’s table and catering.
The Golding Group is proud to be associated with Rococo for the last two and a half years. We work closely with Rinehart on marketing, leadership training and new business development. Our favorite duty is managing the award-winning @RococosCrabCake Twitter account (Yes, the crab cake is on Twitter). We have big projects in the works for Rococo this year. This includes a new ad campaign, new website and a few items we can’t tell you about just yet.
Congratulations to Bruce and Amber Rinehart, Jason Bustamante and the entire Rococo staff on ten years of success. We see nothing but a bright future ahead of you.
