With a combined total of over 100 years of hospitality industry experience among its members, RAMMP Hospitality Inc. is becoming an industry powerhouse with three brands in Western Canada. These three acquisitions are just the beginning for RAMMP, but they are actively searching for talented franchisees to open new locations. The three brands—Mr. Mikes, The Panty, and Rockwell’s—are all distinct and appeal to different demographics. “We're always looking for acquisition opportunities. That's what we do,” says RAMMP CEO Mike Cordoba. “Our mandate, in terms of our partnership, is we buy and build businesses.” Here’s a look at what RAMMPs three brand identities offer, and how they’ve changed since joining the RAMMP portfolio.
Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual
RAMMP acquired Mr. Mikes three years ago. The steakhouse has been in business for 50 years and already has a strong prescience in Western Canada due its long legacy. Mr. Mikes is RAMMP’s primary growth vehicle at the moment with over 20 franchisees and many opportunities for interested entrepreneurs to step in.
“We realized that Mr. Mikes is a different kind of steakhouse so we rebranded it as steakhouse casual. It’s very come-as-you-are, unpretentious, and bright,” says Cordoba. “We redid the signage. We redid the interior look and feel bringing in new woods and brick, and brought in a local feel with local community pictures.”
The Pantry
The Pantry is the low cost, family oriented brand of the RAMMP group of companies. They acquired The Pantry three years ago around the same time as Mr. Mikes. The family restaurant has been in business for 36 years so it too is already well recognized. RAMMP only has three franchisees on board with The Pantry, but of course they are open to more. Also similar to Mr. Mikes, a rebranding phase took place after the acquisition.
“With The Panty we retooled the outside, so we refreshed the look in terms of new signage, new point of sale material, new marketing material,” says Cordoba. “So it was a refreshing, repositioning of the brand into a home style feel. We redid the menu in terms of home style cooking, and made it very much a breakfast-lunch-dinner concept in the family segment.”
Rockwell’s Grill and Bar
Rockwell’s fits into the casual dining genre of the restaurant business, but it is a newer brand and still not widely recognized. The timing was right, however, so RAMMP swooped down and scooped it up without a moment’s delay. Visiting Rockwell’s you can expect a more refined dining experience at a higher price point than at Mr. Mikes or The Pantry. It’s the place where you can taste delicious cuisine alongside fine wines and spirits, and you might see people dressed in handsome evening attire. It’s the place where you might want to take a date on a Friday night before you go dancing, but it can also be a good choice for a nice evening out with the family. There are currently only three Rockwell’s units in BC, but RAMMP is working hard at getting the brand off the ground and looking for qualified franchisees to represent the Rockwell’s brand.
“We positioned our brands into different price points,” says Cordoba. “When you run a multi brand company you want to make sure the brands your offering don’t compete with each other.”
They may still be a young company, but RAMMP continues to make bold strides into the hospitality industry. They plan on expanding their business threefold in five years, and if all goes according to plan, they’ll look at Eastern Canada next. It may not be long before you see a Rockwell’s Grill and Bar, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual, or The Pantry near you.
