KENT RATHBUN CONCEPTS
Since arriving on the DFW restaurant landscape in 1990, I’ve been honored to play an integral role in a diverse scope of eateries from blue-plate diners to 5-star gourmet.
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CURRENT CONCEPTS
From concept creation to opening day and beyond, Chef Kent Rathbun brings unmatched real-world restaurant expertise to your vision.
Catering in Dallas since 1990. From backyard parties to ranch weekends to corporate events, we bring the food, the team and the equipment.
Get Chef-Made BBQ
Enjoy with family & friends in the comfort of your home.
There’s BBQ… and then there is Chef Kent Rathbun Barbecue.
Now you can sit down and enjoy what D Magazine Editors described as the “Best Takeout BBQ In Dallas”. Grab a cold one, get some sides, watch the game and chill with friends.
Our family’s mobile bar company. Two vintage horse trailers turned into bars, the White Trailer and the Black Trailer, with TABC-certified bartenders.
Republic is a bar-centric restaurant that offers a wide variety of dishes with a Texas twist. Chef Ray Skradzinski along with world-renowned Chef Kent Rathbun have created a culinary masterpiece that is truly and uniquely Texas.
PAST CONCEPTS
Fine dining/world cuisine given Forbes’ 4-Star Award. AAA Four-Diamond. Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. DiRona and Restaurants and Institutions IVY Awards. Bon Appétit Best of the Year 2001. Five stars from the Dallas Morning News. 1999.
Urban, gourmet, backyard cuisine named “Top New Restaurant” by Esquire. Nation’s Restaurant News Hot Concepts! Award. Ribs named Top 3 in the U.S. by Bon Appétit and Food Network. DiRona Award for Jasper’s Plano, 2009. Grew to multiple Texas locations. 2001.
Home-cooked meals. Chef prepared. Diner ambience. 2009.
A past concept of Chef Kent Rathbun.
A past concept of Chef Kent Rathbun in Victory Park, Dallas.
Southern hospitality and welcoming foodservice, just outside the gates of The Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
The Story of Kent Rathbun Restaurants
Kent Rathbun restaurants have been part of Dallas dining since 1990. They range from blue-plate diners to Forbes Four-Star fine dining.
Before his own restaurants, Kent cooked at Mr. B’s in New Orleans, The Mansion on Turtle Creek, and the Landmark Restaurant at the Melrose Hotel. He later opened Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art. Today Kent also offers hospitality consulting and Dallas catering. He is a four-time James Beard Foundation nominee.
Where It Started
Kent’s first restaurant job was at 14, at a Sambo’s in Kansas City. At 17 he apprenticed at La Bonne Auberge. His first chef job came at 21 at Papa Nick’s 2121 Club in Gladstone, Missouri.
Frequently Asked Questions
What restaurants has Kent Rathbun owned?
Kent Rathbun restaurants include Abacus, Jasper’s and Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, among more than 30 concepts he has led.
When did Abacus open?
Abacus was created in 1997 and opened in 1999.
Where can I eat Kent Rathbun’s food today?
Rathbun’s Curbside BBQ and Republic Texas Tavern, or book Kent’s catering for your event.
What awards did Abacus win?
Abacus earned Forbes Four Stars and AAA Four Diamonds, a DiRona Award and a Restaurants and Institutions IVY Award, and was inducted into the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame.
Which Kent Rathbun restaurant was famous for ribs?
Jasper’s. Its ribs were named Top 3 in the U.S. by Bon Appétit and Food Network.
