The restaurant was acquired by RDM Hospitality, a company based in Austin, Texas. It is anticipated to reopen in September under the same name but with a refreshed space and menu. The new Etta is one of many changes coming to the shopping and dining destination off Scottsdale Road.
“We think there’s a real void in the North Scottsdale market for a more immersive and vibrant dining experience,” George Martin, chief operating officer of RDM Hospitality, said in an announcement made on Friday.
To create that experience, RDM Hospitality has partnered with executive chef Todd Mark Miller, the founding executive chef of steakhouse chain STK. The wood-fired oven at Etta will continue to be a centerpiece of the restaurant.
“The revamped menu will be a blend of homestyle, authentic Italian dishes like your grandmother would have made with a modern twist,” Miller said in the announcement, adding that steaks and “fun, interactive dishes finished tableside,” will also be available at the reimagined restaurant.
A split, fines and other challenges for Etta
Etta opened in Scottsdale in 2022. It was founded by a Chicago-based hospitality group that was also behind the swanky steakhouse Maple & Ash. The restaurant group What If Syndicate was dissolved in January 2023, with the owners splitting the restaurants following a legal dispute. Despite the split, the restaurants were entangled in a local investigation by the Arizona Attorney General’s office. The sibling restaurants were fined $20,000 in May 2023 for failing to disclose a 3.5% “employee benefits” charge that was added to diners’ bills in 2022.
A new group, Etta Collective, was formed around Etta Scottsdale and four other locations, spanning three states, in January 2023. The Collective filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in multiple states, including Arizona, earlier this year. While some locations shuttered, Scottsdale's Etta remained open.
But, a new era began for Etta in April. That’s when the sale of the restaurant group’s assets was finalized to the restaurant technology company inKind. RDM is owned by Johann Moonesinghe, CEO and co-founder of inKind.
A new path forward
With Scottsdale now in the hands of RDM, work is underway to begin transforming the 8,000-square-foot space with the help of Aline Architecture Concepts and interior designer Social Design Studio. Among the anticipated changes are more TVs in the main bar and nightly DJ sets creating a “vibe dining experience” in the dining room. The updated Etta will also include a new private dining space. When the restaurant reopens in September, it will serve lunch and dinner, along with weekend brunch.
“We can’t wait for guests to see how we are reinventing an already great concept to bring something new and different to the North Scottsdale crowd,” Martin said in the press release.
