The secret to scaling a neighborhood hit

MML Hospitality has built a hometown empire in Austin with hit restaurants like Rosie’s Wine Bar and Neighborhood Sushi. As the group expands beyond its Texas stronghold, few concepts illustrate the group’s approach to growth better than Clark’s Oyster Bar.

Managing partner Larry McGuire shares how MML evaluates new markets, adapts beloved brands to local contexts and preserves its deeply rooted hospitality culture while scaling across cities. From Malibu to Aspen, McGuire breaks down the strategic thinking behind thoughtful expansion, and why leadership, training and a sense of place matter more than rigid systems.

—Interview by Kelly Dobkin, edited by Bianca Prieto

MML has built a strong reputation in Austin before bringing Clark’s Oyster Bar to L.A. What strategic criteria do you prioritize when evaluating a new market to expand to?

Specifically for Clark’s, we always look for locations where it can feel like it belongs rather than being imported and where our team has ties. We want Clark’s to feel like both a neighborhood restaurant and a seasoned institution—so we look for markets with sophisticated diners and a strong influx of travelers. The beauty of Clark’s is that it’s flexible—the heart of the concept stays the same, but it easily adapts to its locale.

We’re lucky that we can prioritize markets we’re excited to operate in, where we can build long-term teams, maintain high execution and create restaurants that feel meaningful to the communities they’re in. Malibu checked all those boxes for us.

When transplanting beloved concepts like Clark’s to a new city, how do you balance maintaining the brand’s DNA with tailoring the experience to local tastes and expectations? Are there specific adjustments in menu, service style or design that have been key in resonating with the L.A. audience?

The bones of the Clark’s experience is based on sourcing very fresh seafood and baking our own bread; they feel special with beautifully crafted interiors and well-trained service. Then we have great happy hours and deals that make it feel approachable and generous. The menu, in particular, responds to place. For Malibu, we lean into the fresh produce from the farmers' market and seafood local to the region. In Aspen, we serve heartier specials and fresh water fish in addition to very good high altitude sourdough. In Houston, we use ingredients mostly from the Gulf Coast and incorporate Cajun flavors.

MML is known for its distinctive hospitality culture. As you scale into multiple cities, what systems or leadership structures are you putting in place to ensure consistency in execution, staff development and guest experience across different locations? How do you preserve culture while growing?

We are only as good as our day-to-day people, our line cooks, bussers and support staff, so we are really concentrating on training and supporting the new restaurants with our traveling team—you’ll see the chef from Houston on the line in Montecito, etc. At the same time, our local leaders need to learn the MML magic and how we connect with our guests in an authentic way and take care of our restaurants and teams, so they’ll be spending time in Austin and in our older shops.

And as we grow into multiple cities, we’re focused less on rigid systems and more on building strong leadership and being an employer people genuinely want to stay with. That local leadership is what allows us to maintain consistency in execution and guest experience while still feeling authentic to each market. We invest heavily in leadership development, promote from within whenever possible and empower local leaders who understand both the brand and their city.

Preserving our “independent restaurant” culture while building restaurants in multiple markets is the key to our continued success.

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The Prep is written by Kelly Dobkin and edited by Bianca Prieto.