Four longtime friends open bistro in Lansing

Four longtime women friends and entrepreneurs partnered to bring a taste of downtown Chicago high caliber dining and entertainment to the south suburbs with the opening last month of their restaurant in Lansing, The Rhoyal Bistro Live.

The restaurant features live entertainment for diners on Fridays and Saturdays, a niche the group says helps set them apart.

“There’s not a lot of competitors doing what we’re doing” in the south suburbs, said Siobhan Robinson, co-owner of the restaurant along with Shaneka Dyson, Dianca White and Natasha Robinson, who call themselves The Restaurant Girls.

“We’re big on setting ourselves apart,” said Dyson. “We said if we’re going to do this, it has to be something different.”

“We wanted to bring that city of Chicago downtown feel, to give something to the south suburbs that’s a little more exciting than the average restaurant,” Natasha Robinson said.

The restaurant’s target audience are patrons ages 30 to 35 and older, who enjoy good food, R and B, blues, jazz and gospel music and the ambience of a grown folks chic establishment where they don’t have to pay for parking. The partners stressed The Rhoyal Bistro Live is not a concert venue, but rather a restaurant that provides entertainment while you dine, and dining time with entertainment is reserved for 90 minutes.

The restaurant is at 2352 172nd St., the former site of Outriggers Steak and Seafood, and is where Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop also operated before moving. The menu, which is still evolving, features American fusion options and includes seafood, steak, pasta and salads.

Before opening last month, the partners invested in giving the restaurant a makeover including painting, resurfacing the bar and installing new fixtures and décor. While Outriggers sometimes offered entertainment, The Rhoyal Bistro Live plans to provide live entertainment on a regular basis on Fridays and Saturdays and has a new stage that can accommodate a 10-piece band. Plans call for adding outdoor patio seating next year.

The Restaurant Girls all separately own and run other business enterprises.

Dyson, who worked as a certified public accountant, owns and operates Jump N’ Jam Inflatables and Jump N’ Jam Playland in Lansing and The Atrium Special Event Venue in Country Club Hills.

Natasha Robinson owns and manages a full-service janitorial company, Exceptional Building Services Inc., in Chicago.

Siobhan Robinson, no relation, is owner of Chicago Mobile Realty, a full-service real estate brokerage, and is co-owner of R Impact Title Company.

White is the owner and operator of White Wilson & Associates in South Holland, which specializes in accounting and payroll services. She also owns White Wilson Business Solutions, a business consulting, marketing and human resources agency.

The women have known each other and been like sisters for more than 25 years. Dyson and White met in seventh grade and attended Thornridge High School in Dolton, where they first they met and became friends with Siobhan Robinson. The three became friends with Natasha Robinson while attending Southern Illinois University. They all pledged Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, which is how the Rho in Rhoyal came to be.

They have long wanted to team up and do a business project together in the south suburbs.

“If we can all be great in our own fields, we thought how great can it be if we collaborate together,” said Natasha Robinson.

They felt the timing and location were right to launch the restaurant. It’s right off the expressway, has ample parking, is close to northwest Indiana and a new Hilton hotel branded property is being built nearby, Natasha Robinson noted. She said it should also appeal to patrons who frequent Lansing’s outdoors concerts during the summer and is not far from the Homewood/East Hazel Crest casino site.

But none of the women has ever owned and operated a restaurant, so they’re focused and are committed to learning the business. They have brought on consultants with expertise in the restaurant industry to assist them. Partners along with staff also participate in Rhoyal boot camp training and are getting trained on all aspects of the business.

“We aren’t above anything,” said White.

While they don’t yet fully know the industry, their entrepreneurial backgrounds are a plus. They began the venture with a list of 15,000 email contacts from their existing businesses and they are all savvy social media marketers, said Dyson. They also will pursue digital billboards and other traditional marketing.

The business, which is open every day of the week except Tuesday, got off to a good start. Its grand opening was packed, and its Sunday gospel brunch and Friday and Saturday evenings are among its busiest days, said Dyson. The 10,000-square-foot restaurant can hold up to 200 people. It also features a private room that can accommodate up to 80 people and a semiprivate space that can accommodate up to 50 people for private special events and celebrations, she said.

Asked what will be key to their long-term success, White and Natasha Robinson said communication is important as is listening to listen to feedback from customers and having friendly staff who provide a high level of customer service and who enjoy their work and want to be there.

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“It takes hard work, dedication, and you always have to be thinking, to be innovative and you can’t be scared to take risks,” said Siobhan Robinson.

But one thing the partners say they won’t risk is their friendship. When they decided to team up on the venture, they had concerns their friendship could one day suffer as sometimes happens when friends go into business.

“We had a sleepover and went to breakfast and that was the topic,” said Dyson. “We said whatever happens this will not affect our friendship. Our friendship is too important. We genuinely love each other.”

The partners start every meeting with a prayer and they focus on meeting regularly so everyone stays informed and can provide input, they said.

“When you have partners, you have to communicate through the good, bad and the ugly and remember the foundation on why you did this in the first place,” said Siobhan Robinson.

“We’ve had disagreements, bumped heads,” said Dyson. “Sometimes business styles may clash, but at the end of the day, when we leave, it’s always I love you. Nothing is worth sacrificing our friendship.”

Francine Knowles is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.