F&B FLORIDA 2019

John Rivers
Founder & CEO
4R Restaurant Group


Before founding 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Founder & CEO John Rivers served as president of a $1.5-billion-dollar healthcare company. After helping raise funds for a young girl battling cancer, John left the corporate world and started a “Barbecue Ministry” in his hometown, where he cooked out of his garage for schools, churches, charities, civic organizations and others in need. After gaining widespread local appeal for his barbecue, Rivers opened the first 4 Rivers Smokehouse in 2009. A decade later, 4 Rivers has 14 Smokehouses throughout Florida and Georgia. Also part of the 4R family are The COOP, 4R Cantina Barbacoa located at Disney Springs, two 4 Rivers walkup venues a ESPN Wide World of Sports as well as eateries at Camping World Stadium, Spectrum Stadium and Raymond James Stadium. Rivers has received national recognition for his style of barbeque by leading media outlets such as Southern Living, Food & Wine, The Daily Meal, FSR Magazine, MSN and more. He has also had the honor to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City twice, and has enjoyed participating at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival for eight consecutive years. In 2013, John authored his first book, The Southern Cowboy Cookbook, and has also launched a line of 4R retail and manufactured products. Rivers is a graduate of Florida State University’s College of Business, where he currently serves on the Board of Governors. He also chairs The 4R Foundation, a nonprofit organization that maintains a focus on supporting and caring for the communities that the 4R Restaurant Group serves. In 2018, The 4R Foundation donated valuable funds to 650 local organizations, non-profits and churches. Additionally, Cows ’n Cabs, the brand’s signature annual charity even has raised more than $635,000 for local charities since the inaugural event in 2012. Rivers lives in Winter Park with his wife Monica and two children, Jared and Cameron.

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