Rodney Mayo, the longtime restaurant, nightclub and coffee shop impresario, said he is restructuring his hospitality and real estate holdings so he can spend more time rescuing dogs.
Mayo said he is weighing how to revamp his West Palm Beach-based company, SubCulture Group, so he can reduce his role in running the hospitality group.
"I'm on a three-month plan to retire and work with dogs exclusively," Mayo said in a Sept. 2 text. He followed that statement with another text on Sept. 3 that said, "I don't like this business anymore."
Mayo is the founder of Hospitality Helping Hands dog rescue in West Palm Beach.
Mayo said he plans to keep all the restaurant and nightclub locations open, but he hopes to transform SubCulture Group into a manager- or staff-owned-and-operated
company. The goal, he said, is to get him out of operations and raise enough money to buy a 100-plus-acre dog sanctuary.
At the same time, Mayo confirmed he is weighing offers from groups interested in buying some of his real estate holdings in West Palm Beach.
Among the properties for sale is his building at 517 Clematis St., where Subculture Group's Hullabaloo and Shanghai'd restaurants are located.
The 517 Clematis St. property was under contract to be sold, Mayo acknowledged, but he said the contract fell through.
Farther east on Clematis, Mayo already sold his property at 114 S. Narcissus Ave. for $3 million, Palm Beach County property records show. The property is home to Mayo's nightclub, Camelot.
Property records show the site was purchased by two entities in April. One entity is affiliated with real estate investor Scott Diament, and the other is owned by Angelo Abbenante of Lynora's Italian restaurants.
What does SubCulture Group own?
West Palm Beach-based Subculture Group is the parent company of SubCulture Coffee, with five locations throughout the county.
SubCulture Group also owns the following restaurants: Howley's Diner, Hullabaloo's, Shanghai'd, El Segundo and Chhauka in West Palm Beach, as well as Dada in Delray Beach.
In Lake Worth Beach, SubCulture recently opened its newest restaurant, Man Ray.
SubCulture's nightclubs include Respectable Street, Voltaire's Lair, Lost Weekend and Camelot in West Palm Beach; Honey in Delray Beach; and Kill Your Idol in Miami Beach.
Revamp comes amid lawsuits filed against Mayo
Mayo's decision to sell some of his real estate properties comes amid the recent filing of two lawsuits against him.
On Aug. 25, a foreclosure lawsuit was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against a Mayo-owned property at 526 Clematis St. The building houses the Lost Weekend lounge.
The lawsuit names two Mayo entities, Clematis Street Realty LLC and 3615 Henry Realty LLC, as well as Mayo personally. Lender BEB Credit Opportunity Fund of Delaware alleges it is owed $3.2 million in principal, interest and fees on a $4.9 million loan made in 2024.
In the texts, Mayo said the foreclosure lawsuit followed a disputed $350,000 charge with his lender, which he said has now agreed to accept $300,000. Mayo also said he was obtaining a new loan to satisfy the old one so the foreclosure complaint can be dismissed. As of Sept. 3, the lawsuit still was pending.
Meanwhile, an Aug. 18 lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court alleges Kapow! Noodle Bar in West Palm Beach, now Shanghai'd; the former Penelope's restaurant in Boca Raton, now Tryst; and Mayo owe Cintas Corp. $114,185, plus interest. The lawsuit said Cintas is owed money for equipment, including paper goods, chemicals and linens.
In response, Mayo said Cintas has been fighting him for more than a year "on an unsigned contract."
Mayo moves forward with new openings
Even as Mayo plots his exit from the coffee shops, restaurants and nightclubs he founded, he said he's moving forward with one long-planned venture, Hacienda, at 522 Clematis St.
The 13,000-square-foot food hall with rooftop seating, an outdoor patio and seating for about 600 guests, will open on Sept. 16, he said.
Also slated to open within the next 60 days is a second El Segundo Mexican restaurant, this one in Palm Beach Gardens.
Staff writer Diana Biederman contributed to this report.
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rodney Mayo seeks exit from Subculture Group he founded | Exclusive
