Operations

Razzoo’s spins off its fast-casual venture

Tricky Fish is being divested to former Razzoo’s President Chris Degan.
shrimp basket
Photograph: Shutterstock

Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe is divesting its 3-year-old startup concept, Tricky Fish, to former Razzoo’s President and Tricky Fish creator Chris Degan.

Terms of what Razzoo’s described as a definitive agreement were not revealed. The deal is expected to close in late November. 

The company said the spinoff was warranted by the extreme disparity in the two concepts’ rate of expansion. Tricky Fish was launched in 2016 as a fast-casual venture based on Razzoo’s popular menu item of the same name. Since then, only two more units have opened, while Addison, Texas-based Razzoo’s has grown to 22 casual-dining locations.

Degan, who will serve as CEO of Tricky Fish, described the spinoff of his brainchild as “an exciting opportunity.”

“We’re looking forward to building a devoted audience of Tricky Fish fans,” he said in a statement.  

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners