Restaurateur Russ Bendel is on fire in the restaurant world
Russell Joseph Bendel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Russell William and Judy Bendel, who introduced him to the restaurant world. In the early 1970s, his parents had met while working at Dummy’s Delightful Saloonery, Russell as GM and Judy as assistant manager. Later married, Judy stopped working after Jeannie was born in 1980 and Russell Joseph in 1981, and when her husband was offered a job in 1990 as COO for El Torito on the West Coast, the family moved to Mission Viejo.
“I really grew up in the business,” Russ says. “I remember being able to go in restaurants at a young age and see what was going on behind the scenes, After we moved and Dad was opening new restaurants for El Torito, and later for Outback Steakhouse, I got to see restaurants being built from the ground up.”
By his high school years, Russ was working as a dishwasher and bus boy at Outback.
“That’s when I knew I was going to be in the restaurant business,” he says.
By the time he earned his Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis on Restaurant and Business Management from The Collins College at Cal Poly Pomona in 2005, he was a manager at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Beach. Quickly moving up the ranks, he was promoted to partner at age 25, making him the youngest in company history, after which he earned his Court of Master Sommeliers Certification. In 2012, he was included in OC Metro’s prestigious 40 Under 40 Annual Issue.
After being named Fleming’s Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012, Russ left to pursue his own venture in February, 2013, with longtime friends and family. He acquired the 90-seat Vine Restaurant & Bar in San Clemente in 2013, which launched with Russ and Kyle Simpson as Operating Partners, Gabe Whorley as the bartender and Partner and Jared Cook, the former chef at Vine, as Chef Partner. This is where they began to build the foundation of their future.
“Our vision was to always have the highest quality ingredients to create unique dishes at a fantastic value,” Russ says. “Jared spearheaded the food, and early on, I was in charge of the wines, while Gabe focused on craft beverages and Kyle managed the service team.”
Russ says they liked it because it was a neighborhood restaurant. They decided to keep the name and the staff, making small improvements where needed, and ended up doubling revenue the first year and being named one of OC Register’sTop 10 Restaurants in Orange County. Even though the menu changes four times a year, signature dishes remain: Crispy Meyer Lemon & Honey Duck Wings, Crispy Jidori Chicken Schnitzel with Maitake Mushrooms, House Made Sugar Pumpkin Ravioli, Mexicali Burger, and Zinfandel Braised Napa Lamb Shank.
In 2016, Russ and partners opened a second restaurant in Laguna Hills called Ironwood, built in 120 days, Russ says a business class at Cal Poly taught him to create a business concept from start to finish.
“It was ironic that the restaurant I created was called Vineyards, which had a lot of similarities to Vine, since the partners and I wanted to offer wine country-inspired cuisine.”
Opening in May, 2016, the 120-seat Ironwood, in keeping with Vine, featured rustic wine country design elements but with more natural light and a slightly larger kitchen (now open) and a patio with a view of Saddleback Mountain. Executive Chef Cook took staple items from Vine and added what everyone thought the Laguna Hills neighborhood would want. New menu items included the House Made Giant Meatball, Fried Green Tomatoes with Fresh Burrata, Pan Roasted Mediterranean Branzino, and Warm Fromage Blanc Brownie.
By November, 2017, Russ and his partners had opened another wine country-inspired restaurant called Olea in Newport Beach. Seating 140, it was built from scratch on the bottom floor of a three-story medical building. With a rustic decor showcasing Portland sourced pine trees suspended from the ceiling, a large open bar in the middle of the restaurant and signature open kitchen, it was an immediate success.
“People continue to tell us that this community has needed this type of restaurant for a long time,” Russ shares.
Cook’s new menu offerings included a Double R Ranch 24 oz. bone-in Ribeye Steak, Terrine of Duck Liver, Bacon and Bourbon, Duck Confit & Morel Mushroom Cavatelli Pasta, and Grapevine Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs.
As to revenue, Russ says that revenue per square foot is very similar, which is what they want. In other words, all three restaurants are a success. Pretty amazing, since they acquired their first restaurant only seven years ago!
Russ and his partners aren’t resting on their laurels. They’ve been looking for a fourth restaurant location for a while.
“We want to do something unique that has its own personality but continue to use portions of each of the three restaurant concepts that are working well,” Russ says. “We are looking anywhere from Carlsbad to Long Beach.”
Along the way, awards and accolades have come their way. Ironwood, shortly after opening, was named the Best New Restaurant in Orange County by the Golden Foodies in 2016. In 2018, all three restaurants were listed on Brad Johnson’s Top 75 places to eat, and Russ was named Restaurateur of the Year in 2018 by Orange County Business Journal and the same honor in 2019 by the Golden Foodie Awards.
Russ is a board member and past president for the hospitality industry’s California Restaurant Association Orange County Chapter and is involved with The Collin’s College Alumni Association at Cal Poly.
Just about the time Russ and his partners began their great restaurant adventure, Russ began dating his future wife, Sarah Delfosse in 2012. They had met first in 2008 when Sarah was working at Wineworks in Mission Viejo and Russ was at Fleming’s, but both were in relationships. Married July 5, 2015, they now have a two year-old daughter named Brooklyn, with brother Russell Michael (fourth generation Russell) born Oct. 10, 2019.
“This can be a challenging industry, but Sarah is amazing. She has restaurant experience and supports our future goals,” Russ says.
“My journey has been amazing,” he continues. “I am married to a wonderful woman, we adore our children, and, I’m fortunate to be able to enjoy what I do for a living. I have great business partners, who are also great friends. We all have the same vision, which is to continue to improve our restaurants and to grow one restaurant at a time.”
Signature Dishes served at Each Restaurant
Crispy Jidori Chicken Schnitzel with Maitake Mushrooms 
Double R Ranch 24 oz. bone-in Ribeye Steak 
Fried Green Tomatoes with Fresh Burrata 
Signature Crispy Meyer Lemon & Honey Duck Wings
Vine Restaurant & Bar, 211 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.361.2079, VineSanClemente.com/Ironwood, 25250 La Paz Road, Suite 100, Laguna Hills, 949.446.8772, IronwoodLagunaHills.com/Olea, 2001 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach, 949.287.6807, OleaNewportBeach.com