Why a Successful Hotel and Restaurant Veteran Chose Tony Roma’s

Bruce Rahmani saw something missing in the casual dining space and signed an 8-unit development agreement

Bruce Rahmani is a successful restaurant and hotel operator who has owned and invested in more than 50 different franchise locations. When it came time for his next round of restaurant openings, he selected Tony Roma’s over all other franchise options.

“I’ve never seen a restaurant franchise with this much customer loyalty,” says Bruce, president of Colorado Hospitality Services. “Tony Roma’s really stands out in casual dining. Local customers visit often and brand fans will go out of their way to visit a restaurant if there is one on a business trip. Tony Roma’s appeals to a really mass market and has something for everyone.”

Tony Roma’s has an emotional pull like no other restaurant brands. Generations of diners grew up eating at Tony Roma’s and have overwhelmingly deep nostalgia for our brand. When we conducted market research we found that people had incredible brand loyalty and miss the Tony Roma’s experience, seeking out the brand when they travel.

This brand loyalty is another selling point for Bruce as Tony Roma’s is a well-respected name in the restaurant industry that evokes a loyalty among diners. “There are lots of new franchises that have just opened their doors. They have no customer base and they are starting fresh,” Bruce says. “With Tony Roma’s you already have many years of loyalty and so many people know about it. The build up of business will not take as long as with new brands, making it a shorter time to become profitable. Tony Roma’s is a great investment opportunity with not much risk involved.”

“Tony Roma’s new modern look is what customers are looking for in casual dining.”

Bruce is planning to open eight Tony’s Roma’s locations. The first location opens in December and is a conversion of an existing restaurant space in his Ramada Plaza Hotel located near the Colorado Convention Center. Bruce’s additional restaurants will include a location near the Denver airport, a Fort Collins location and a Tony Roma’s in Greeley, home of the University of Northern Colorado.

Bruce’s development agreement is the third major U.S. agreement for Tony Roma’s in 2017 and continues the strong momentum set in motion with the October 2016 opening of our global prototype restaurant in Orlando, Florida. Bruce knows the downtown Denver market well, having been a hotel and restaurant business owner in the area since 1991.

After years of fast-paced international expansion, Tony Roma’s is focused on domestic growth, planning to open 250 new locations over the next 10 years. With a new store design and updated menu that both pleases our generational guests and connects with younger diners, we’ve stayed true to our DNA that made us famous.

Menu and restaurant redesign attracts business people, tourists and families

Bruce is a fan of the revamped Tony Roma’s menu which stays true to signature items such as the classic Onion Loaf, baby back ribs and Romatini®, while introducing fresh concepts in ribs that appeal to a new generation. He believes Tony Roma’s strong menu is also a strong selling point in a busy metropolitan area such as Denver which attracts traffic from locals, business people and tourists.

“Tony Roma’s menu attracts all ages of customers. There are steaks for steak lovers, our world famous ribs and fresh salads…there is something for every type of diner and an item for every family member,” Bruce says. “Some of my full hotel concepts need a family type restaurant that offers a little bit of everything and Tony Roma’s fits the bill. The business traveler can have steak and families can have steaks, ribs, burgers or salads.”

Bruce also sees the new open and modern restaurant layout, which were strategically thought out to provide flexible dining options for a variety of customers, as a huge plus.

“With the bar, the dining room and the private dining room, Tony Roma’s new design has everything pretty covered for every type of customer. Tony Roma’s new modern look is what customers are looking for in casual dining,” Bruce says.

Learn more about bringing Tony Roma’s franchise to your community

We are looking for business owners, particularly multi-unit operators, who love food and people. Our new leadership is focused on aggressive U.S. and Canadian expansion over the next five to 10 years. Click here to read through our research pages or request more information about opening a Tony Roma’s franchise.