R. Thomas Deluxe Grill, the long-standing, colorful restaurant on Peachtree Street known for the tropical birds by its entrance, will be sold by the family that founded it.
Linay Thomas Sheltra, daughter of original owner Richard Thomas, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she’s looking for a buyer who will be a good steward for her father’s business far into the future. She’s enlisted the help of longtime family friend and Atlanta entrepreneur Cliff Oxford to vet potential buyers and broker the sale.
The restaurant’s next owner will not only acquire a stable business but a valuable piece of Buckhead real estate on Peachtree Road and a brand name beloved across multiple generations in Atlanta, Oxford said.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
Richard Thomas opened R. Thomas Deluxe Grill in 1985 after a successful career in the fast food franchise business, Sheltra said. Thomas created a restaurant with healthier food options, serving fresh-pressed juices and organic products, after feeling guilty for his role in popularizing Bojangles across the Southeast. He was also instrumental in KFC’s global growth in the 1960s, according to Sheltra.
Sheltra said her father felt he “poisoned America” with trans fats in his early career. She hopes the brand’s next owner will expand on Thomas’ vision of a restaurant that makes healthier food accessible to the masses; Oxford said a key selling point for R. Thomas Deluxe Grill is its potential as a much larger franchise business.
Because Sheltra and Oxford are seeking buyers who will hold and operate the restaurant into the future, they have no timeline for the sale.
“We’re gong to be vetting people a little bit more, maybe deeper than we normally do,” Oxford said. “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?’”
Sheltra’s life is in Charlotte, where she grew up and settled down. She has run a flooring business in North Carolina for about 40 years and raised her family there, she told the AJC. Since her father’s death in 2017, Sheltra has operated the restaurant from afar, commuting to Atlanta every other week for in-person check-ins.
Business challenges
Running a restaurant is a difficult business in the best of times, but R. Thomas has dealt with a fair share of challenges since Sheltra took over as its primary operator. During the pandemic, R. Thomas temporarily switched to a takeout-only model. Once known for being open 24 hours a day, R. Thomas never reestablished its round-the-clock service after the pandemic.
Sheltra said R. Thomas took another hit when a fire damaged a bridge on Cheshire Bridge Road in August 2021, causing the thoroughfare to be shut down for about a year. The closure created a barrier between R. Thomas and some of its regular customers, causing a reduction in restaurant traffic.
In 2023, the exotic birds who welcome customers to R. Thomas were stolen from their enclosures outside the restaurant. Ruby, a Catalina macaw, and two Moluccan cockatoos named Peaches and Cream, were removed from their cages by a man who was later tracked down and arrested by Atlanta police. Though the birds were missing for less than 12 hours, Sheltra said the episode was traumatic for them and for herself.
Nearly a year later, disaster struck again in the form of a water main break that caused a sinkhole on Peachtree Street at the shared driveway between R. Thomas and neighboring restaurant Sufi’s Kitchen. The repairs caused the restaurant to shut down for four days in February 2024.
Despite so many recent difficulties, Sheltra remains emotionally attached to R. Thomas. She spoke fondly about its success and her father’s legacy. Sheltra credited much of the restaurant’s resilience to the staff, several of whom have worked at R. Thomas for decades.
“It’s the passion and love of my people that have been here forever, that my dad trained and worked with,” Sheltra said. “Without them, I could not do what I do.”
Credit: Linay Thomas Sheltra
Credit: Linay Thomas Sheltra
Running a business and building a brand for 40 years is unique, Oxford said. “We usually see entrepreneurs do the best (with their businesses) between years seven and 12, because that’s how much energy it takes.”
“The velocity it takes to keep one of these brands going for 40 years is so far off the charts,” Oxford continued.
Oxford said the perfect buyer would be a local businessperson interested in expanding R. Thomas according to its original vision, but said they would entertain offers from private equity investors with plans to invest in the brand.
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