Company History
December 2005
What a Catch!
ROCKFISH Seafood Grill is owned and operated by See-Worthy Restaurants, Inc., a private
company based in Dallas,Texas. Randy DeWitt, together with his wife Michele, started the
company in 1994. Young and in love, the couple left careers in real estate (Randy) and
advertising (Michele) to open their first restaurant, a coffee shop near Southern Methodist
University. But the long hours and marginal profitability of the 36-seat café took its toll. After a
year, a friend and one-time partner suggested they consider a seafood concept.
Between 1995 and 1997, the company opened three seafood restaurants and was just
beginning to gain momentum when it was sued for trademark infringement by another, much
larger restaurant chain with a similar name. This forced Randy and Michele to rethink the
restaurant name and concept.
After many sleepless nights and a much-needed vacation, the couple settled on the name
Rockfish in late 1997. There is still a dispute as to who actually came up with the name
(Michele is sure it was her.) Ultimately it was selected because of one thing - it wasn't yet
trademarked - until recently by us of course!
By 1999, D Magazine named Rockfish “The Best Neighborhood Restaurant in Dallas.” The flyfishing theme and casual seafood menu struck a chord with customers, as did the reasonably
priced menu. Since the first Rockfish opened in February 1998, the company continues to
expand. It has hired key personnel and partners, including president and chief operating
officer, Troy Cooper, along with many on site chef/partners.
The menu is crave-able comfort food with a twist like New England Baked Stuffed Fish with
crab, shrimp, smoke sausage and Ritz cracker stuffing and creations like the Santa Fe Fish
Tacos, served with crispy white fish and a roasted ancho-chile sauce.
Recently, with Troy at the helm, the Rockfish menu was expanded to include ‘Field’ – or nonseafood items like Louisiana Pot Roast and Grilled Chicken Pasta with sun dried tomatoes and
salads like the Tossed Shrimp Cobb Salad and the Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad.
5307 E. Mockingbird Ln., Ste. 1001
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 887-9400
www rockfish com
Rockfish Company History – November 2005
Page 2
Reeling in the Best
Leadership
Troy Cooper joined Rockfish in August 2004 as chief operating officer. Now as president and
COO, Troy oversees operations to make sure the company's signature food, friendly service
and witty sense of humor are recreated in every Rockfish restaurant.
Honors
In October of 2004, Rockfish was named the “Official Seafood Restaurant of the State of
Texas” during a gilded ceremony at the Texas State Capitol, complete with a high school
marching band. The honor, bestowed by Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville,
came after her swearing in ceremony as “Governor for a Day,” a tradition dating back more
than 40 years, to honor the President Pro Tem of the Texas Senate. The Rockfish appointment
was among Governor Nelson’s first official acts.
Rock Solid Values – “The Rock”
The values that Randy and Michele originally created for their restaurants continue in the dayto-day operations at Rockfish. "The Rock," Rockfish’s credo, is mounted at every Rockfish
location and reminds each neighborhood restaurant crew that the Rockfish experience is about
integrity, attitude, people and the autonomy to have fun.
Integrity
Honesty in actions and words, take responsibility
Attitude
”Can-do”, bring solutions not problems, embrace change
People
Select, train, develop and retain the best
Communication
Clear, concise, direct and respectful
Fun
Play and enjoy while getting it done
Results
Deliver commitments, keep it simple, accountability for all
In 2005, the then new president Troy and key leadership joined forces to reorganize and
simplify “The Rock” and to establish the company’s mission statement. The mission statement
now reads:
“Rockfish is the ultimate seafood restaurant choice because with each and every visit we
create a hunger for our quality seafood, value with our attractive prices and a fun and
comfortable atmosphere through our passion and knowledge, resulting in balanced returns for
our guests, employees and shareholders.”
5307 E. Mockingbird Ln., Ste. 1001
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 887-9400
www rockfish com