Sam Fox Exits Fox Restaurant Concepts
The Phoenix restaurateur left the company he built over nearly three decades at the end of October 2026.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Dining Out
Sam Fox departed Fox Restaurant Concepts at the end of October 2026, several years after the company was sold to The Cheesecake Factory. He has launched Author & Edit Hospitality as his next venture.
Why it matters
Fox said his departure was inevitable after the sale and that he now wants to focus on businesses he fully owns and on growing his hotels and restaurants. For Phoenix diners, it marks a change in leadership at a company headquartered in the city.
Fox Restaurant Concepts was sold to The Cheesecake Factory in 2019 for $353 million, and Fox built his namesake company over nearly 30 years. The extraction does not say how the departure will affect the brands the company operates.
The players
Sam Fox
Sam Fox is a Phoenix-based restaurateur who founded his namesake company in 1998 and co-created the Twelve Thirty Club in Nashville with Justin Timberlake.
Fox Restaurant Concepts
Fox Restaurant Concepts is a Phoenix-headquartered restaurant group that operates several dining brands and was sold to The Cheesecake Factory in 2019.
The details
Fox Restaurant Concepts, headquartered in Phoenix, operates Flower Child, Culinary Dropout, North Italia, Blanco Cocina + Cantina, Olive + Ivy, The Henry, Zinburger and Society Swan. Fox told the Phoenix Business Journal that his departure was inevitable after the sale.
Timeline
1998: Fox opened Wildflower in Tucson, founding his namesake company.
2019: Fox Restaurant Concepts was sold to The Cheesecake Factory.
December 2023: The Global Ambassador luxury hotel opened at Camelback Road and 44th Street in Phoenix.
End of October 2026: Fox left Fox Restaurant Concepts.
Market Landscape
The 2019 sale of Fox Restaurant Concepts to The Cheesecake Factory for $353 million set the terms for the company's ownership change. Fox's exit now completes that transition as he turns to hospitality ventures he fully controls.
Diners in Phoenix may see changes to the restaurants Fox Restaurant Concepts operates, though the extraction does not specify any. Fox's new Author & Edit Hospitality venture and the planned Thea location in Dallas suggest where his focus is heading next.
The takeaway
Leadership changes at established restaurant groups can reshape the brands local diners know, so it is worth watching which concepts continue under new direction. Fox's stated focus on businesses he fully owns signals where new openings are likely to appear.
Further reading
Explore more Phoenix restaurant news in Dining Out.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Phoenix New Times.
