RUSS BENDEL JR.
OWNER/PARTNER
RJB RESTAURANT GROUP
WHY: Owner and operator of a string of full-service restaurants in OC; portfolio started with purchase of Vine Restaurant + Bar in San Clemente in 2013 and continued to expand with his partners at Newport Beach-based RJB Restaurant Group.
IN THE NEWS: Opened Parlor pizzeria in San Clemente in 2024, across from Vine, marking the seventh restaurant in OC for Bendel and partners, including chef Jared Cook. Expanded both Parlor and Olea in Newport Beach this year to meet seating demand. Parlor added two dining areas in the basement—El Camino Lounge with a man-cave vibe, and Mae Mae’s Den, a 14-seat dining area named after Bendel’s late mother-in-law. Olea, which opened seven years ago, added a 1,200-square-foot space that seats 54 for dining and 65 for cocktails. Features a baby grand piano that can be programmed to auto-mode for background music or played live and a 16-seat private dining room.
NOTABLE: Named Business Journal’s Restaurateur of the Year in 2018. Father, Russ Bendel, is the retired CEO of Irvine-based Habit Burger & Grill.
QUOTABLE: “It needed some repairs and we didn’t know what it would turn into, but we figured the potential was there with wasted space and business booming upstairs. It’s the perfect space for groups to have cocktails first on the bar side, play some games and then settle in on the other side for a nice dinner.” – Bendel Jr. on Parlor’s lower-level expansion
