MONTEREY — A trio of some of the most recognized restaurants in the region has been sold to a Carmel husband-and-wife team with deep backgrounds in business operations and hospitality.
Montrio Bistro, Tarpy’s Roadhouse and Rio Grill are being sold by a three-partner restaurant group in Monterey to Ken and Mona Donkersloot. Not all of the details of the transaction had been completed as of Monday, but both buyer and seller said the deal is all but done. The selling price was not disclosed.
“These restaurants are institutions,” Donkersloot said. “We bought them because they are institutions.”
Donkersloot said Monday that customers will see very little visible differences in any of the three restaurants. Mona Donkersloot, who grew up in a restaurant family and has worked in numerous hospitality roles, said her focus will be on maintaining the front-of-house experiences for diners.
“I spent my entire life in restaurants,” Mona Donkersloot said. “I really enjoy interacting with customers and helping them have a superior dining experience.”
Ken Donkersloot will focus his skills on the back end, using his experience in software delivery, analytics and strategic planning to increase operational efficiencies within the three restaurants. Much of the technology the restaurants use is outdated and new technology will allow for “a greater synergy and integration” among the three.
But he emphasized that he is embracing the culture that Tony Tollner, the managing partner of Downtown Dining, the partnership selling the restaurants, has instilled over the past 30 years. All the executive chefs are being brought back as well as all senior leadership, Donkersloot said.
“I’m not the kind of person who makes changes for the sake of changes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tollner is revving up his retirement. At the top of the list is getting on his BMW touring motorcycle and hitting the road.
“I’m going to get with the guys, pack a few clothes and beef jerky and hit the road,” he said. “Seeing this state from the seat of a motorcycle is a visceral experience.”
Tollner is also planning more road trips with his long-time partner Julie Conrad, as well as catching up on his reading, learning to speak Spanish better, learning to weld and even some real estate.
There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 era has been damaging to restaurants, but the three restaurants are clawing their way back and on Friday are launching curbside service. For the restaurants that have survived, there is some relief in the air.
The state Department of Public Health has approved the Monterey County COVID-19 county variance attestation form, the county Health Department reported on Saturday, allowing the county to advance into expanded Stage 2 reopening, which includes dine-in restaurants and hair salons.
One change customers will see at some point is the introduction of live music — particularly blues and jazz — said Donkersloot, who is himself a blues fan.
All the restaurants are considered top tier in the region and have won numerous “best-of” awards and write-ups in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and Esquire magazine.
While the reputations of the restaurants was a key factor in Donkersoot’s decision to buy the trio, there was also some personal motivations.
“Many executives who are getting on in years are ready to work for themselves,” he said.
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Montrio, Tarpy’s and Rio Grill sold to Carmel couple - Monterey Herald
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