Apr 15, 2025 - Food and Drink

R. Thomas Deluxe Grill is for sale

Thomas Wheatley

A photo of a colorful painted recreation of the Statue of Liberty standing in front of a funky restaurant next door to a high-rise residential building — Richard Thomas opened the restaurant in 1985. Photo: Jeff Greenberg/Contributor via Getty Images

R. Thomas Deluxe Grill, Atlanta's late-night beacon of healthy food, fresh-squeezed juices and tropical birds, could be yours for the right price.

Why it matters: Though healthier options are easier to find today, R. Thomas remains an outlier where the menu — R's Meatless Meatloaf! — is just as colorful as its surfer shack decor of beaded curtains, rattan and bright colors.

For generations of metro Atlantans, the quirky Buckhead spot has been a refuge from chains and a yin to the Waffle House's yang after a night out partying.

Driving the news: Owner Linay Sheltra, the daughter of Richard Thomas, the former fast food entrepreneur who opened the Bay Area-inspired restaurant in 1985, told the AJC she's looking for another health-minded individual to take over.

What they're saying: "We're going to be vetting people a little bit more, maybe deeper than we normally do," Atlanta entrepreneur Cliff Oxford, who's helping Sheltra sell the restaurant, told the AJC, the first to report the news.

"We always do it, but I've got to think, 'Would Richard and Linay have this person running the restaurant and be happy about it?'"

What we're watching: Sheltra and Oxford said the restaurant has franchise potential. She is also entertaining offers from interested investors in the business.

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R. Thomas Deluxe Grill is for sale

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