Fixins is poised for expansion, something other Sacramento restaurants have struggled to do

Fixins Soul Kitchen can seat more than 200 people at once, but the dining room is often full during the weekend dinner rush. Servers in T-shirts reading “no grits, no glory” walk plates of fried chicken past murals of Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X and James Baldwin to hungry customers.

Fixins has become a keystone in rapidly changing North Oak Park since opening in 2019. Now ex-mayor Kevin Johnson’s soul food brand is fixin’ to make Sacramento history as the first modern concept to expand nationwide.

Fixins plans to open at least 40 restaurants in historically Black or entertainment-driven neighborhoods across the U.S., including 30 over the next decade, Sacramento general manager John James said.

It’s already expanded to L.A. Live next to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, where the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Sparks and Kings play basketball and hockey. Another Fixins location opened in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Black Wall Street had been a century ago.

Denver and Detroit locations are next up for the rapidly-growing brand, which made a name for itself by presenting down-home cooking in a manner suitable for dates, family get-togethers and big games.

“What Fixins does is it takes that same authentic food, but it puts it in an environment that’s inclusive for all,” James said. “You have a sports element with the TVs, you have families coming here, you have big tables, you have small tables. It’s just a really welcoming, friendly environment, and you still get that cuisine from back home.”

Widely regarded as one of Sacramento’s best soul food restaurants, Fixins has a devoted following at 3428 3rd Ave., its original location in Oak Park’s 40 Acres development. Long considered Sacramento’s predominant Black neighborhood, Oak Park’s Black population dropped 24% from 2010-2020, according to a Capital Public Radio analysis of U.S. Census data.

Customers come from around the area for oxtails braised for four hours, whipped strawberry butter and a rainbow of Kool-Aid flavors. The menu, which will remain roughly the same at all future Fixins locations, is based in part on Johnson’s family recipes.

Herman Williams, a New Orleans native now living in Rancho Cordova, drives to Oak Park three or four times per month for two of Fixins’ most popular dishes: fried chicken and catfish.

“Yeah, I come here a little bit. I like the food, it’s got a good atmosphere,” Williams said. “Me and some other fellas, we come out here, sit down and talk, laugh about sports, everything.”

Will Fixins find success outside of Sacramento?

Sacramento-area restaurants have struggled to make major nationwide expansions despite the dining scene’s growth over the past 10 years.

Chando’s Tacos had big plans for Georgia, but is down to one taqueria there and has closed multiple concepts in greater Sacramento over the past two years. Burger Patch opened its Land Park central kitchen last April with hopes of a “double-digit” Bay Area expansion; instead, it’s closed three of its four Sacramento-area vegan fast food joints in the time since.

There are a couple of positive examples, mostly on the more casual end. Folsom-based Jimboy’s Tacos has six locations in Nevada and two more in Fort Worth, Texas. Sourdough & Co. is based in El Dorado Hills and has 54 sandwich shops throughout California, plus another eight on the way.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor is the best example of a Sacramento restaurant’s major national expansion. The U.S.’ first franchised pizza chain debuted in East Sacramento in 1954, and had more than 340 locations nationwide by 1968.

But the original Shakey’s closed in the 1990s, and the last remaining Northern California location is in Oroville. While there are still 45 Southern California locations and several more in the Philippines, nostalgia is Shakey’s only connection to Sacramento these days.

Few restaurateurs have Johnson’s reach, though. An Oak Park native, former NBA All-Star and mayor of Sacramento from 2008-16, he has more deep-pocketed connections than the average local business owner. Fixins won’t divulge possible sources of investments propelling the nationwide expansion.

How Fixins works

It’s still a family affair at the original Fixins, owned by Johnson and his wife Michelle Rhee. Johnson’s aunt greets customers at the door and in the dining room, while his mother Georgia West runs nonprofit bookstore Underground Books a few doors down. Rhee’s brother Erik, too, is Fixins’ national director of real estate and development.

Between 80-90 employees work at Fixins at a given time, including several students from nearby Sacramento High School (a charter school run through Johnson’s charity St. Hope) and Christian Brothers High School. The dining room can seat 110 people at once, plus another 60 on an outdoor patios and 40 in a private area.

Subsequent Fixins will likely be even larger, providing historically Black neighborhoods an economic boost from the jobs created and the patrons spending money in the area.

That’s intentional from the top down. Johnson started a venture capital firm for Black entrepreneurs last year, and despite criticisms he faced as Sacramento’s mayor — most notably, several accusation of sexual misconduct — few could argue that anyone has done more for Oak Park over the past 20 years.

“I think the vision really started with Kevin’s roots. He’s bringing something into a Black neighborhood that people can really get behind, represent and love, which kind of brought this to fruition,” James said.

Fixins also fits well in entertainment districts such as L.A. Live because of how fast chicken or fish can be fried, James said. You can stop in to grab a bite when headed to a game or show and be out within 30-45 minutes, or linger longer over a watermelon margarita or basil gimlet.

There’s unlikely to be an additional Sacramento-area Fixins within the next three or four years, James said. Oakland or another East Bay Area city is more likely see one in that time, though.

Wherever Fixins expands, it’ll have to stand on taste more than flash. Johnson’s heyday as a basketball player was 30 years ago, and he’s been largely politically silent since leaving office in 2016, apart from lobbying for the controversial Hu Honua bioenergy project in Hawaii.

“I think it’s all driven from the food. Yes, Kevin helps, but the recipes, the structure, what the restaurant is, it’s all going to carry itself,” James said.