Kent Rathbun has RESIGNED from Abacus and its sibling restaurants

Remember a few minutes ago when I told you that Chris Patrick was promoted to the top chef position at Abacus? Well, turns out there was more to the promotion than Abacus’ owners and staff were letting on. Way more.

An EscapeHatch fan sent word that Kent Rathbun has resigned from Kent Rathbun Concepts (which includes Abacus, Jasper’s, Hickory and a group of affiliated concepts). Reached by phone, Rathbun confirmed the departure

“I’ve left the day-to-day operations of the company,” said Rathbun, “but we’ve put some great chefs in place. I remain a shareholder and will always be their biggest cheerleader.”

Rathbun wouldn’t comment on the details of the split or his future plans, but said, “I’m looking at a lot of fun options for the future.”

When reached, a company spokesperson declined to immediately comment.

Update: Bill Hyde replied:

“Kent Rathbun has resigned from Kent Rathbun Concepts. Although he will be relinquishing his day to day activities to pursue other avenues of interest, he remains to be a part of this company. We are currently exploring his new role and welcome his continued engagement for the benefit of our guests, staff and company. We are extremely proud of the culinary talent we have placed in each restaurant and look forward to continuing to serve our valued guests.”

Photo: Facebook