Steve is the Founder, Principal Broker and Chief Executive Officer of Restaurant Realty
Company. Steve has personally sold/leased over 1,000 restaurant, bar and/or nightclub
businesses and over 40 related commercial buildings totaling 2+ million square feet of
commercial space, collaborated with over 2,000 clients and completed over 3,000 valuations
since 1996.
His real estate experience also includes sales, acquisitions, management, and ownership of
numerous properties throughout California including restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings,
single family houses, an office building and a multi-use retail building. Steve is also the author
of Restaurant Dealmaker – An Insider’s Trade Secrets for Buying a Restaurant, Bar or
Club available on Amazon and he has written over 100 articles which can be found in the News
Section of RRC’s website under Restaurant Rap.
Prior to starting Restaurant Realty Company Steve had over 20 years of restaurant experience
and was President and Chief Executive officer of Zim’s Restaurants, which was one of the
largest privately owned restaurant chains in the San Francisco Bay Area with a total of 37
restaurants during its history.
Steve is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and University of San
Francisco’s School of Business. He holds a California State Real Estate Brokers License (License
#01310250), State of California College Teaching Certificate, and he has earned the industry’s
top designations for advanced education which include: the Lifetime Certified Business Broker
(LCBB) designation awarded by the California Association of Business Brokers (CABB), the
Lifetime Certified Business Intermediary (LCBI) designation awarded by the International
Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and the Mergers and Acquisitions Mastery Intermediary
(M&AMI) designation awarded by the Mergers and Acquisitions Source (M&A Source). Steve
was awarded the Fellow of IBBA (FIBBA) for his leadership role in teaching courses and
conducting workshops at IBBA educational events and he has been a Costar Power Broker
recipient for multiple years.
Steve has lectured at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, taught management
courses at San Francisco City College Hotel and Restaurant School and the former School for
Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at Golden Gate University. Steve has been a
regular guest lecturer at the California Culinary Academy (CAA) in San Francisco for several
years. He has taught the CABB Principles of Business Brokerage Course and IBBA Restaurant
Sales, Valuation and Lease Analysis Course to real estate brokers and agents.
Steve is a member of the California Association of Business Brokers (CABB), the Golden Gate
Restaurant Association, California Restaurant Association, Cornell University Hotel Society,
Cornell University Real Estate Council, the International Association of Business Brokers (IBBA)
and Mergers & Acquisitions Source (M & A Source).
At HFLA, a non-profit lending institution where Steve was a past president, he currently holds
the following positions: Chairman of the Loan Committee and member of the following
committees: Audit, Business Loan, Business Circle and Finance.
Steve’s non-profit work has included participation on the Board of Directors of the following
organizations: California Association of Business Brokers (CABB), Golden Gate Restaurant
Association, JCF of San Francisco, Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, MJCC and Northern
California Cornell Alumni Association. Steve has prepared and served meals at the Marin
Homeless Coalition Lunch Program for over 20 years.
Steve has extensive experience as an expert witness and has worked regularly for years with
many attorneys and the courts regarding valuations, leases and acquisition and disposition
matters.
