Founded in 1981 by married couple Randy and Andrea Cole, Randy’s Restaurant has been a Scottsdale mainstay for decades. Largely known for its homestyle meals and affordable prices, the restaurant has earned many local accolades and amassed a large following of loyal customers.
According to Bradley Deane, the Coles had been searching for a buyer to take over their restaurant and ultimately sought the assistance of Shamrock Foods, where he worked as a sales leader.
Bradley says he's dreamed of owning his own restaurant for “close to 30 years." Taking over Randy’s felt like a natural move for him and Amber, who both have years of hospitality experience.
Before Shamrock Foods, Bradley worked as a front-of-house captain at Sanctuary by Elements, while Amber held positions at JW Marriott at Desert Ridge. They both started their careers at Richardson's, where they met over 20 years ago.
“We both have grown up in restaurants,” Amber says.
After one full year of ownership, the Deanes reflect on the experience with gratitude, noting the special significance of buying a respected restaurant with an established history.
“This opportunity fell in our lap, and it really worked out,” Amber says. “We couldn’t be happier.”
All pies at Randy's are made from scratch using the same recipes since the restaurant's inception.
Randy's Restaurant
Taking over a beloved business
The couple knew they had big shoes to fill when they took over as owners. The local staple has a fervent customer base, many of whom come in multiple times per week.Joe and Karen McGuire have been frequenting Randy’s twice daily for approximately 25 years. They say that aside from the food, the people have kept them coming back.
“There’s a lot of regulars, and we run into them often,” Joe says. “It’s kind of like a small community center to us.”
Randy's is also known for having a dedicated workforce. In an industry where staff turnover is rampant, many of the restaurant's employees have been there for over two decades.
Jen Carlson began serving at Randy’s in 1985, four years after it opened. She mentions that while she never envisioned working at the restaurant for close to 40 years, the work-life balance provided by the previous owners was excellent.
“It was always conducive to me raising my kids and family,” Carlson says.
The Deanes were aware of Randy’s reputation among employees and patrons and wanted to ensure nothing felt different once they took over.
“A lot of restaurants change hands, and everybody goes, ‘Oh, it’s never the same.’ We wanted to avoid all that,” Bradley says. “We just took the blueprint, absorbed it and moved forward.”
Aside from some new menu items and adding credit card payment options, everything has stayed business as usual, from keeping fan favorites on the menu to using the same payroll company. The Deanes kept on 100% of the employees, something Carlson mentioned helped with the transition period.
“When you have people like myself and some other co-workers who have been there for so long, we knew how things were supposed to go,” Carlson says. “Bradley and Amber were open to hearing about how we did things.”
Carlson adds that business operations remained so close to normal, many diners never suspected a change.
“I have customers that still don’t know we have new owners,” she says.
The McGuires share a similar sentiment. While they are aware of the new ownership, they say both the food quality and familial environment have stayed the same, noting the Deanes' eagerness to earn the trust of old and new patrons alike.
“They go out of their way to be friendly with customers,” Joe says.
Bradley notes that owning a restaurant is vastly different from working in one, but that he and Amber’s passion for connecting with people has made the journey worthwhile.
“It’s not for the faint of heart, but I love breaking bread with people,” he says. “Food brings everyone together.”
Adding some fresh menu items
Although they enacted minimal changes elsewhere, Bradley notes there was room to tweak the menu. Instead of removing items, he and Amber reorganized how dishes are presented.“The menu had daily specials, but they’ve been the same daily specials for 20 years. They didn’t really change. It’s just the special all the time,” Bradley says.
Many of those daily specials have made it to the permanent menu, leaving room to try out some new items, much to the delight of their frequent customer base.
“Our guests love our comfort food, but they want new things, too, because some of them eat here three times a day,” Bradley says.
The Deanes plan to create multiple specials every few months, aiming to rotate them on a quarterly basis. Currently, they’re offering items like chicken pot pie, red velvet waffles and some barbeque meat dishes.
The new Boss Hog sandwich is a standout dish for Bradley. It starts with pulled pork slowly braised in a blend of herbs and spices, served on a toasted bun with a sweet-and-spicy coleslaw and an extra kick from some fresh jalapenos.
There’s also a new prime rib dinner, available only on Fridays. A 14-ounce slab of USDA Choice Prime rib is slow-cooked “all day” to a medium-rare consistency and covered in a house-made compound butter with shallots, rosemary and garlic. It’s served with a salad, soup and a drink for around $40.
“It’s an extraordinary value,” Bradley says.
With the rising cost of food, menu prices are something the Deanes keep in mind, considering a large part of Randy’s appeal is the affordable prices. While Bradley says he can’t promise there won’t be “modest” price increases — there’s already been a 25-cent increase, plus a convenience fee for all card transactions — he’s hopeful that driving business through new revenue streams can help move food quicker, offsetting food waste costs.
“We’re looking at catering options and are appealing to a larger crowd with credit cards. It’s all to increase top-line sales,” Bradley says.
Part of the hope with credit card payments is to attract a new, younger crowd into the restaurant. He estimates that approximately 20% of his new customers are in the Gen Z or Millennial age range. However, he notes that community involvement and nostalgia might have a larger hand in attracting new demographics.
Aside from supporting many of Chaparral High School’s sports teams, who often come in after practices, there's a decent amount of teens and twenty-somethings with a past connection to the restaurant.
“I just had a conversation with a young lady and her mother about how coming to Randy’s reminds her of her grandmother,” Bradley says.
The nostalgia factor isn’t just for the younger crowd. Carlson notes that she’s grown up with a lot of the same customers who still frequent the restaurant.
“We have some really special regulars here," Bradley says. "They’re very much part of this restaurant, just as much as the restaurant is part of them."
