Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe is back in a big way.
The Dallas-based restaurant chain, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2024, has returned under new ownership with a new menu across all of its locations, signaling what the company hopes will be a lasting turnaround.
M Crowd Hospitality, the Dallas-based operator behind the Mi Cocina Tex-Mex chain, purchased Razzoo’s for $18 million after the company disclosed $12.7 million in debt. At the time of the filing, Razzoo’s was working to keep its remaining 20 locations open, Chron reported.
M Crowd CEO Edgar Guevara said the new menu reflects months of work, including visits to 12 Louisiana restaurants in a single day to better understand the cuisine and culture the brand was built around.
“We’ve been aligning the flavors and making it more authentic,” Guevara said in a statement to Chron. “We are trying to reframe the restaurant’s menu and make it more authentic.”
The culinary overhaul emphasizes made-from-scratch preparation and traditional Cajun and Creole techniques. Sourcing has been a priority — the company brings in fresh crawfish daily during crawfish season, sources Leidenheimer bread from Louisiana for po’boys and uses andouille sausage in its red beans and rice, Chron reported.
Guevara said the previous owners had tried to position Razzoo’s against large casual dining competitors, a strategy he views as a mistake for a 35-year-old brand.
“You’re never going to compete against large companies like Brinker and Applebee’s,” he said to Chron. “There’s not enough marketing money and they have massive purchasing power.”
Instead, Guevara said M Crowd is positioning Razzoo’s as a neighborhood restaurant, a philosophy that also guides Mi Cocina. The company conducted focus groups with longtime Razzoo’s customers before finalizing the new direction.
“The solution to our future is to look back into the past when this brand was successful,” Guevara added.
M Crowd plans a beverage menu overhaul in October, including a reformulated hurricane and the Tiger Smash, a purple cocktail designed for LSU game days.
Generative AI was used to draft this story, based on data provided by Chron. It was reviewed and edited by Advance Local.
Dining and Cooking