Rim is also an owner of the original Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge at 13th and Sansom Streets, Raw Cafe at Boyd's on Chestnut Street, and the Corner, a comfort-food emporium at 13th and Chancellor Streets. He is also a partner in several restaurant/package store projects that are in the works with Foodery.
His first restaurant, Raw, opened in 2005 and became noticeable for barely being noticeable. One of the city's sexiest sushi spots seems like a speakeasy on a shadowy backstreet.
"I wanted something dark you had to seek out, know by word of mouth," says Rim, who never hired a publicist and did little advertising. "People seek out quality."
It was only the beginning for the young entrepreneur who made his business bones selling beepers and pagers in the '90s.
Binh Diep, Rim's friend since high school and partner in the beeper biz and Raw, says Rim sees Stephen Starr as a role model: "Tony sees Stephen Starr's success and wants to create his own path. Tony always gets me to follow the bigger dream," says Diep, 36. "My role is to keep him grounded."
Rim, who was born in Korea, is a product of a stern work ethic. His father bought a deli 30 years ago at 17th and Jefferson Streets that he runs to this day. "I learned dedication to one's job from my father," says Rim. "When I mention retirement, he believes that he must be there to feed that neighborhood 24/7."
Rim majored in finance at Drexel University, worked at a mutual fund company, and became a gofer rather than the investment banker he thought he'd become. Changing careers, he took advantage of the beeper and pager boom in the '90s, selling and leasing equipment and services through Pagealert.
