Joseph Russo is a restauranteur with a celebrated career in hospitality that spans 30 years, inspired by his travels across South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe. He has created a number of memorable hospitality experiences in Chicago and Atlanta, including restaurants, cocktail lounges, and music festivals. Rock Steady, located in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, is his latest restaurant and cocktail lounge, which celebrates the food, music, and culture of the Caribbean.

Before launching Rock Steady, Joseph created The Shrine, an up-scale live music venue, and Coup d’Etat, an adjacent cocktail lounge, both in his hometown of Chicago. The venues attracted some of the top artists across a range of musical genres, from Reggae to Afrobeat to Hip-Hop. In a city infamous for segregation, The Shrine and Coup d’Etat drew a mixed crowd, proving again that Russo’s approach was one that brings people together.

All of Russo’s ventures were informed by a lengthy sabbatical, during which he traveled through South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, living for extended periods in Brazil, Jamaica, and Colombia. The trip was a well-earned break after ten successful years running Sinibar, a high-end lounge that originally launched within Joseph’s first restaurant, Thyme. These were Joseph’s first projects as an entrepreneur after the incredible success of Funky Buddha Lounge, which became a Chicago institution under his leadership. 

Joseph lives in Atlanta, GA.