Rae Phillips-Luther is a brand strategist and the founder of The R Circle, a consultancy working at the intersection of strategy and storytelling for private equity firms and high-growth companies and Old School Eats, a boutique restaurant group anchored in creating experiences anchored in nostalgia.
Rae built her thesis on a simple, often-overlooked truth: growth and turnaround come down to the same thing - a brand story people actually believe, backed by the operational discipline and culturally aligned leadership to deliver on it. She proved it as CMO of Zoës Kitchen, where she led brand and culture strategy through the company's 2014 IPO - one of the strongest restaurant debuts of the decade - and again at Jamba Juice, where she repositioned a legacy brand ahead of its transaction to Focus Brands.
Having sat on every side of the table - inside the C-suite as an operator, deeply invested as a founder and outside as an advisor - Rae brings a rare, ground-level view to brand work. The R Circle partners with clients on brand development, culture, positioning, leadership, and stakeholder communications: the work that turns a good business into a compelling one; one people want to invest in, work for, and buy from.
Rae also lives this work firsthand through Old School Eats, the company developing The Owl Icehouse, a uniquely Garland restaurant experience, giving her a builder's stake in the same brand and culture principles she brings to her work.