Sacramento entrepreneur · Chinese American
Kevin Fat
Chief operating officer, Fat Family Restaurant Group
Third generation of the family behind Frank Fat’s, Sacramento’s oldest family-owned restaurant, open since 1939.
Kevin Fat is the grandson of Frank Fat and has served as chief operating officer of the Fat Family Restaurant Group since 2013. The group runs four restaurants, including Frank Fat’s in downtown Sacramento, which the family calls the oldest family-owned restaurant in the city.
By the numbers
The data
Frank Fat’s on the road to 100 years
Opened in 1939 at 806 L St., two blocks from the California State Capitol.
Fat family restaurants by city
Sources: James Beard Foundation; Capitol Weekly (2019).
The story of Kevin Fat
The story begins with his grandfather. Frank Fat was born near Canton, China, in 1904 and came to California at 16. He worked his way up in Sacramento restaurants and in 1939 opened his own at 806 L Street, two blocks from the State Capitol. Frank Fat’s became the place where legislators, lobbyists and governors met; the 1987 “napkin deal” on tort reform was written there.
The family built on that start with Fat City in Old Sacramento and Fat’s Asia Bistro in Folsom and Roseville. In 2013 the James Beard Foundation named Frank Fat’s an America’s Classic, and in 2019, the restaurant’s 80th year, it received a Michelin Bib Gourmand. That year the group employed about 300 people.
Kevin Fat also serves the wider industry. In 2018 Gov. Jerry Brown reappointed him to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, and he served on the board of the Capital Region Family Business Center. He describes the family’s duty to the community plainly: “we need to give back whether it be financially, investment wise or time wise.”
Awards and recognition
Milestones
- 1904Frank Fat is born near Canton, China.
- 1919Frank Fat arrives in California at age 16.
- 1939Frank Fat’s opens at 806 L St., two blocks from the Capitol.
- 1984Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin declares June 18 Frank Fat Day.
- 1987The “napkin deal” on tort reform is drafted at the restaurant.
- 2013James Beard America’s Classic award; Kevin Fat becomes chief operating officer.
- 2018Gov. Jerry Brown reappoints Kevin Fat to the California Travel and Tourism Commission.
- 2019Frank Fat’s turns 80 and earns a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Companies and ventures
Lessons for business builders
- A family business lasts when each generation adds something: new restaurants, new cities, new standards.
- Location is strategy. Two blocks from the Capitol made Frank Fat’s part of California history.
- Serve the industry, not only the business: commission and board seats keep a family firm at the table.
Sources
- Capitol Weekly: Frank Fat’s, still serving up politics and food, turns 80 (Sept. 3, 2019)
- Office of Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.: appointments (April 4, 2018)
- Frank Fat’s (Wikipedia)
- James Beard Foundation: America’s Classic, Frank Fat’s
- Sacramento State Library: Frank Fat Day
- Frank Fat’s: About
Photo: Frank Fat’s (frankfats.com). Figures marked firm-reported come from the company; all others from the sources above, checked November 2026.
