Cameron Mitchell Restaurants

Where Design Meets Dining

There’s a moment in every dining experience that sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s not the first bite of food or the first sip of wine - it’s the moment you walk through the door.

”The answer is yes. What’s the question?” This philosophy, embedded in Cameron Mitchell Restaurants’ DNA, extends far beyond customer service. It’s baked into every design decision, every sight line, every carefully curated peek-a-boo view that draws you deeper into the space.

On this episode of the Arcfluence podcast, we sat down with Randy Roberty, AIA, NCARB, Director of Design and Architecture at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, to explore how restaurant design shapes the dining experience - from the grand entry at Cento (their hundredth concept) to the practical realities of back-of-house kitchen operations.

With 113 restaurant openings under their belt across 20 distinct concepts, Cameron Mitchell has become one of the most influential hospitality groups in the Midwest. Their portfolio spans fine dining steakhouses like Ocean Prime, upscale Italian at Cento, and casual concepts like Rusty Bucket - each with its own identity, yet unified by an obsessive attention to the guest experience.

The Art of Restaurant First Impressions

”First impressions are not prioritized enough,” Randy explains. “You have to wow the guest when they get there.” At Cameron Mitchell, that first moment sets the tone for everything that follows - and it’s a principle that applies whether you’re designing a fine dining restaurant, a neighborhood bistro, or a high-volume steakhouse.

Take Prime Social Reserve in Naples, Florida - their most recent opening. The third-story rooftop location on Fifth Avenue creates an impactful arrival moment by design. The journey from street level to the restaurant becomes part of the experience, building anticipation with every step.

This philosophy extends to every Cameron Mitchell location, from the valet stand at Cento in Columbus to the dramatic entries at Ocean Prime locations across the country. Restaurant entrance design isn’t an afterthought - it’s the opening act.

The Invisible Details: Restaurant Lighting, Acoustics, and Atmosphere

But hospitality design isn’t just about grand gestures. Randy’s team obsesses over the invisible details that most guests never consciously notice - but absolutely feel.

Restaurant Lighting Design: Cameron Mitchell spends tremendous time on color temperature, favoring warm lighting that makes guests feel comfortable and encourages intimate conversation. “Brighter white lights don’t necessarily spur warm, intimate conversation,” Randy notes. “That’s why retail has bright white light - it keeps you moving. Warm, dark, dim light gets you talking. It makes you feel comfortable and trusting.”

Restaurant Acoustics: The team works with an acoustician from the start of every project, tracking reverberation rates to find the perfect balance. Too loud, and guests are screaming at each other across the table. Too quiet, and the space feels sterile. “You have to find that range that’s perfect acoustically,” Randy explains. “And then once you get the acoustics down, you layer in the music.”

These subliminal elements of restaurant interior design separate good restaurants from great ones. They’re the reason you leave some spaces feeling energized and connected, while others leave you drained despite excellent food.

Restaurant Site Selection: Concept First, Location Second

In an industry where location is often king, Cameron Mitchell takes a different approach to restaurant site selection. The concept drives the design, and if a site doesn’t fit the concept, they walk away.

”It’s not a shoe horn type thing,” Randy explained. “If it doesn’t fit, it just doesn’t fit.”

This discipline has allowed them to build over 100 distinct restaurant concepts, each with its own identity, rather than forcing square pegs into round holes. Consider the contrast between their approaches:

Site-Driven Concepts: Cento in Columbus emerged from a 100-year-old building with rich history. “We wanted to make it about that space, about the history, about the community and the culture,” Randy says. The Italian brand evolved from the building itself.

Brand-Driven Sites: For Ocean Prime, they identify great locations and superimpose their proven steakhouse concept onto the space. The brand travels; the execution adapts to each market.

Market analysis plays a crucial role too. “There might be a space that has a great steakhouse right next to it,” Randy notes. “So we’re not going to put another steakhouse there and split sales. Maybe it needs to be a lounge, or maybe it needs to be something else entirely.”

Back-of-House Design: Where Service Begins

One of the most overlooked aspects of restaurant architecture is back-of-house design. Randy’s team starts kitchen layouts at the same time as front-of-house planning - because they have to work together.

This philosophy extends to how Cameron Mitchell treats their associates. “When staff feel like they’re being taken care of, they’re going to be more motivated to take care of the guests,” Randy explains. Good restaurant kitchen design isn’t just about efficiency - it’s about creating an environment where the team can do their best work.

The design process involves constant collaboration across departments: operations, construction, HR, finance, marketing. “I’m more of a quarterback than a doer,” Randy says. “Blending all these areas of expertise together is what we do.”

Restaurant Renovation and the 10-Year Mindset

In an industry known for quick turnover and trend-chasing, Cameron Mitchell designs for longevity. Their restaurant remodel cycle typically aligns with lease renewals - meaning every space needs to feel fresh for over a decade.

”The advantage of opening 113 restaurants is you’ve been through the full cycle and see the pain of not doing those things,” Randy explains.

That experience shows in construction details most guests will never see:

• Concrete curbs under kitchen walls - prevents water damage and rot over time
• Durable, timeless finishes - materials that age gracefully rather than dating quickly
• Quality upfront investment - fewer emergency repairs and spaces that still feel new years after opening

With 51 CMR restaurants and 17 Rusty Bucket locations currently operating across the country, the team manages a constant cycle of maintenance and refresh. But the upfront investment in quality pays dividends in reduced long-term costs and consistent guest experience.

Columbus Ohio: The Restaurant Testing Ground

Cameron Mitchell started in Columbus, Ohio, and the brand remains deeply rooted here. The city serves as their testing ground for new concepts before national expansion.

”Columbus is a great crossroads of different demographics,” Randy explains. “Because of the big businesses here, because of the university and the type of people you get here, it’s a very good cross-section of what you’re going to see in different parts of the country. That’s why it’s a great launching point for restaurants.”

Most Cameron Mitchell concepts start in Columbus, get refined with the local demographic, and then expand to larger markets once the model is proven. It’s a strategy that’s taken Ocean Prime from a single Columbus location to a national fine dining brand with locations in Vegas, Nashville, Beverly Hills, and beyond. Meanwhile, concepts like Cento demonstrate CMR’s commitment to creating beloved local institutions that celebrate their community.

What’s Next: Bridge Park Hotel and Beyond

Looking ahead, Cameron Mitchell’s next major venture is their first hotel project - a partnership with Crawford Hoying at Bridge Park in Dublin, Ohio.

”It will be an experiential hotel focused on hospitality, especially the food and beverage work,” Randy shares. “There will be multiple restaurants, lounges, bars within the space. It’ll be a destination for people to go, not only to stay, but mainly to hang out and to be.”

The team is also exploring new design tools: VR walkthroughs for design review, 3D modeling down to the silverware on tables, and virtual reality software that lets them walk through spaces before they’re built. “We sit in all the booths and look around,” Randy says. “We check sight lines. We go into the kitchen and see if there’s any conflicts. It saves us money and leads to better design.”

But the core philosophy remains unchanged: great hospitality is human. Technology is just a tool to help deliver it.

The Three-Legged Stool of Restaurant Success

Throughout our conversation, Randy returned to Cameron Mitchell’s recipe for a great dining experience: the three-legged stool of great service, great food, and great design.

For architects, designers, and restaurateurs looking to create memorable hospitality experiences, the lesson is clear: design isn’t decoration. It’s the invisible infrastructure that enables everything else - from the server’s ability to deliver food at the perfect moment, to the guest’s sense of comfort and connection, to the long-term viability of the business itself.

Want to experience Cameron Mitchell’s approach to restaurant design firsthand? Visit cameronmitchell.com to explore their 20 concepts across 50+ locations. For hospitality design and architecture insights, subscribe to the Arcfluence podcast wherever you listen.