About Us

always a great show

Southern Inspired | Coastally Driven | Locally Flavored

Rex at the Royal is an innovative and multi-faceted hospitality establishment, creating exceptional experiences through a Food & Beverage program inspired by the culinary traditions of the American South, influenced especially by its coastal regions, and locally flavored by our home—the Royal Theatre on South Street in Philadelphia—expressed in elevated dining services, immersive special events, personalized private dining, and a thoughtfully appointed bottle shop.

dine with us

What We Do

to create a community gathering place—a space where our guests gather to celebrate, find community, and experience something unforgettable. A place where every occasion shared over food & beverage is special. We invite our guests to join us in a space that is welcoming, inclusive, and engaging, in an environment that encourages connection to one another.
the rich history of our home, the Royal, and its connection to the community and culture of Philadelphia in a manner that reflects not only our joy and honor to be here, but also our responsibility as its current stewards to the histories, communities, cultures, and traditions which continue—as they always have—to make special places to gather, connect, and celebrate.
to elevate the experience of hospitality workers and make positive impact in our industry. We extend hospitality to our staff through just practices which center the lived needs of staff in every position.

Who We Are

Sojourn Philly | Hospitality Group

Jill Weber, owner

Rex at the Royal

Joshua Scheid, dining & beverage manager

Jamaar Wheeler, sous chef

Josh Thorpe, sous chef

Cecile Perret, events manager

Shawn Whyte, bottle shop manager

Join Our Team

We are currently hiring servers for our dining service which includes dinner, brunch and private events. Please click the link above to apply, and we’ll be in touch.

Where We Are

Rex and the Royal

This place has been special to many people before us, and will continue to be special to many for reasons which do not include us. The immense joy and honor we feel working in this special place is a reflection of our gratitude for the contributions of those who came before us and our understanding that their stewardship of this place was not always taken on or given up freely.

This land between what we call the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers is the ancestral home of the Lenape people, and continues–as it always has–to be the lived home of Indigenous people of many identities.

This neighborhood has been populated by homes and businesses which have come and gone–including a thriving economic, social and cultural community of black Philadelphians who put South Street on the map and connected the city to artistic and social movements that have shaped the past century in countless ways. It is within this community that the Royal Theatre thrived as a special place for artists and audiences to gather, to find community and to celebrate–particularly for those who were Black, Brown, queer, or of any marginalized identity to do so in a style and exuberance which was not always and everywhere afforded to them.

In its various forms–vaudeville house, blues venue, union and guild center, movie theater, and more–the Royal was a special place for those who chose to be there. From the time of the Royal Theatre’s closing–through various stages of demolition, dereliction and preservation–to the development of the building behind the façade, this place continued to be special. Special, of course, to those for whom the legacy of the Royal Theatre was iconic and legendary, or simply a cherished childhood memory–but also, like so many places under varying degrees of care and supervision by public offices and private interests, special to uncounted people needing a place, sometimes simply a place to be.

And we, Rex now at home in the Royal, do not claim any legacy as our own, and we can make neither apology nor excuse for the treatment of any of the people who were here before us. What we endeavor to do, for however long we are fortunate enough to call this place our home, is to be glad of it–to continue to create a space for people to gather, to connect and to celebrate, by our own contributions and just as importantly by stepping back to place center stage the contributions of our friends, neighbors, and community, which continue–as they always have–in connection, in celebration, and in this place.