For almost 20 years our family has celebrated many birthdays, holidays and entertained out of town guests at Mercato Ristorante in downtown Olympia. We have opted for the same waiter for several years. He remembers us each time and knows that my daughter will be disappointed if they are out of the butternut squash ravioli. The feeling that you are in an independently operated local restaurant is not a marketing scheme. The family that owns Mercato lives and works locally and supports our community.
I recently met up with Adam Adrian, owner of The Ramblin Restaurant Group, to talk about his restaurants. I have known Adam for several years and we both served on the board of the Hands On Children’s Museum. I know first hand the generosity that he and his wife Amanda extend to their community by donating their time to local non-profit organization like the museum.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise then that he asked me to meet him in the kitchen at Ramblin’ Jacks. I found Adam prepping vegetables for a catered lunch later that day. One would assume that when you have risen up the ranks from an assistant chef at someone else’s restaurant to owning and operating several restaurants of your own, that your workspace would no longer be the back of a kitchen.
While Adam does have an office with a desk and computer, it’s more likely you’ll find him in the kitchen, working side-by-side with his staff. He’s an integral part of not only the business of the Ramblin’ Restaurant Group, but the kitchen as well, rolling up his sleeves on a daily basis. On this day, he was slicing hundreds of veggies to be roasted for an antipasti tray.
Adam was a political science major with a minor in business at the University of Oregon. He had originally planned to go to law school after college to become an attorney. He always loved to cook and worked for several years with a local chef in Eugene, Oregon during college. “I never thought that I would own my own restaurant, let alone multiple restaurants,” shares Adrian. “Great opportunities have presented themselves and we just do it.”
In addition to Mercato and Ramblin’ Jack’s in downtown Olympia, The Ramblin Restaurant Group owns i.talia pizzeria across in West Olympia and the Rib Eye in Chehalis.
These four restaurants provide food choices from pizza and salads to steak and potatoes. All four restaurants have great food and great service in common. “I like having ‘regulars’ and seeing my customers happy,” Adam adds. When you visit the Rib Eye in Chehalis or Mercato in Olympia chances are you are dining with someone who comes in every week and has for many years.
Working in the restaurant business for two decades means that Adrian has formed many relationships with local vendors. One of his favorites is with L&E Bottling. “The reason that we use Pepsi products in all of our restaurants is because no one takes care of us like L&E,” states Adam. “For 20 years whatever we need they always come through for us.” L&E Bottling services all four restaurants and provides all of the equipment.
The Rib Eye restaurant in Chehalis does a tremendous volume of business and they found they just couldn’t keep up with their ice needs. They called L&E Bottling on a Monday and before the week was out L&E had installed a second ice machine and the staff at the Rib Eye no longer worried about running out of ice. “L&E Bottling is a local vendor that understands our business and knows that customer service is a top priority for us both,” shares Adam.
Adam has been a huge supporter of downtown Olympia. Two of his restaurants Mercato and Ramblin’ Jacks book end the downtown core and showcase menus featuring southern BBQ to fine Italian dining. “I enjoy the people downtown and I enjoy working downtown,” says Adam. “I want to continue to create places for people to go and gather.”
In addition to great restaurant dining, Ramblin’ Jacks offers full service catering, from a simple backyard BBQ to an elegant wedding. Adam’s roasted vegetable trays prepared during our interview were headed to a luncheon at the courthouse. Weekends mean weddings and graduations for the catering staff, preparing food for 20 or 200.
If you have been to a fundraising dinner for a non-profit organization in town there is a good chance that it was catered by Ramblin’ Jacks. The Ramblin Restaurant Group donates catering to many organizations including local school districts. In addition to serving on the Hands On Children’s Museum Board, Adam serves on the Advisory Committee for the Culinary School at South Puget Sound Community College. He and his wife are both very involved in GRuB, a program partnering with youth and people with low-incomes to create community food solutions.
Whether it’s a special occasion at Mercato, a Rib Eye burger on the way home from White Pass, a plate of Ramblin’ Jack’s ribs washed down with local beer amongst friends or an i.talia pizza with the kids before a movie, the Ramblin’ Restaurants don’t disappoint. They are locals, they employ locals, they partner with and support other locals. They are truly one of us.
For more information on The Ramblin Restaurant Group and their catering options visit their website at www.ramblinrestaurants.com
