Today we’d like to introduce you to Rikki Wang.
Hi Rikki, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My path into hospitality was not a traditional one. I studied computer science at Indiana University and began my career working in the corporate and technology worlds, including at General Motors. That experience taught me how large organizations operate, but it also made me realize that I was most energized by building things from the ground up, especially businesses where creativity, operations, and the customer experience all come together.
That eventually led me to Austin’s restaurant industry. I opened Space Cowboy in 2023 with the idea of creating a playful, immersive restaurant that combined food, cocktails, design, and technology in a way people had not experienced before. As a first-time restaurateur, I had to learn nearly every part of the business firsthand, from construction and design to hiring, menu development, marketing, and daily operations. It was an intense education, but it gave me a deep understanding of what it actually takes to bring a concept to life.
Space Cowboy showed me both the possibilities and the challenges of hospitality. I became increasingly interested not only in opening restaurants, but in building an organization capable of creating and operating distinctive concepts repeatedly. That became the foundation for Over The Moon Group, or OTMG.
Our next major project was Oria, a Mediterranean restaurant on Barton Springs Road. I was closely involved in developing the concept, designing the space, and managing much of the construction process. We transformed an existing building into a large, romantic garden restaurant centered around a fountain, greenery, fire, and shared dining. Oria opened in 2026 and represented a meaningful evolution for us, more ambitious in scale, more refined operationally, and more reflective of the kind of lasting hospitality company I want to build.
Today, I am focused on growing OTMG into a multi-concept restaurant group rooted in Austin. We are continuing to strengthen Space Cowboy and Oria while developing Toki, a premium Japanese grab-and-go concept designed to make restaurant-quality food more convenient and accessible.
The journey has involved a great deal of learning, problem-solving, and doing things myself when resources were limited. But that experience has shaped how I approach business. I believe memorable hospitality comes from combining a strong point of view with disciplined execution. My goal now is to build an organization that can turn those ideas into enduring brands—while creating opportunities for talented people to grow alongside them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I entered hospitality without the traditional restaurant background, so much of the journey involved learning through direct experience, often while the consequences of getting something wrong were very real. At one point, my inexperience and falling victim to scams nearly broke me both financially and emotionally. It was an incredibly difficult period that forced me to confront how much I still had to learn about protecting the business, evaluating partners, and making informed decisions.
Opening Space Cowboy meant learning construction, permitting, restaurant operations, staffing, menu development, marketing, and financial management at the same time. Once we opened, I discovered that creating a concept people are excited to visit is only one part of the challenge. The harder work is building the systems and team that can deliver a consistent experience every day, even when I am not personally present.
Capital has also been a constant constraint. Restaurants require significant upfront investment, yet there is very little room for error after opening. That forced me to become extremely resourceful. For example, I took a very hands-on role in the design and construction of Oria because building it through a conventional process would have cost far more than we could responsibly invest. It was demanding, but it allowed us to create something ambitious while remaining financially disciplined.
There have also been the normal, but difficult, realities of leading people. Hiring someone with the right résumé does not always mean they are the right fit for an entrepreneurial organization. I have had to learn how to set clearer expectations, hold people accountable, develop emerging leaders, and distinguish between someone who can perform a role and someone who can help build the organization around it.
The market itself is never entirely predictable. Consumer behavior changes, costs rise, and what works for one concept or location does not automatically translate to another. There have been periods when we had to adjust quickly, question our assumptions, and make difficult decisions without having perfect information.
Perhaps the biggest personal challenge has been transitioning from being the person who solves every problem to becoming the person who builds an organization capable of solving problems without depending on me. Being resourceful and hands-on helped us survive and grow, but scaling requires a different kind of leadership.
None of those struggles have made me less optimistic. They have made me more disciplined about what we build, how we invest, who we trust, and the kind of company I want OTMG to become.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Over The Moon Group, or OTMG, is an Austin-based hospitality company that develops and operates original restaurant concepts. Our portfolio currently includes Space Cowboy and Oria, and we are developing Toki, a premium Japanese grab-and-go concept.
What we specialize in is creating hospitality experiences with a strong identity. We do not want our restaurants to feel interchangeable or as though they were designed from the same template. Each concept should have its own world, emotional character, and reason for existing.
Space Cowboy is playful, unconventional, and technology-driven. It is best known for its immersive atmosphere and robotic delivery system, where dishes travel through the restaurant on overhead tracks. But the goal was never to use technology simply as a gimmick. It was about creating a sense of surprise and bringing some of the imagination I came from in the technology world into hospitality.
Oria is a very different expression of our approach. It is a Mediterranean restaurant inspired by romantic gardens, Moorish architecture, fire, greenery, and communal dining. The experience is centered around a large fountain and a lush indoor-outdoor environment that feels transportive while still belonging to Austin. The menu is designed around bold Mediterranean flavors, wood-fired cooking, cocktails, and dishes meant to be shared.
Toki represents another side of our company. It is being developed around the idea of “restaurant-quality food without the friction.” The concept will offer premium Japanese sushi boxes, bentos, sandos, miso, and other items in a convenient grab-and-go format. We want to prove that convenience does not have to mean sacrificing quality, design, or hospitality.
What sets OTMG apart is the combination of creativity and hands-on execution. We are involved in the entire process—concept development, branding, spatial design, construction, menu direction, technology, and operations. That allows the experience to feel cohesive, from the architecture and packaging to the way the food arrives at the table.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that we have resisted simply repeating what already worked. Space Cowboy, Oria, and Toki are very different concepts, but they share the same underlying belief: hospitality should make people feel something. It can be playful, romantic, comforting, or surprising, but it should never feel anonymous.
I want readers to know that OTMG is still a young company, and we are building with a long-term perspective. Our ambition is not merely to open more restaurants. It is to create enduring brands that begin in Austin, grow thoughtfully, provide meaningful opportunities for our team, and continue giving people a reason to come together.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Building anything meaningful requires more than an idea. It requires patience, sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to begin again after setbacks. There are moments when the vision feels distant, when obstacles seem larger than the opportunity, and when the easiest choice would be to stop. But those challenges are also where the work gains its meaning. Every mistake, disappointment, and unexpected turn has taught me something about resilience and about the responsibility that comes with creating a place people can experience, remember, and feel connected to.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has visited Space Cowboy or Oria, shared our restaurants with someone, offered thoughtful feedback, or given us another chance when we did not get everything right. Austin has given me the opportunity to learn, rebuild, and continue pursuing ideas that once existed only in my imagination. What we have created is not the result of a perfect plan; it is the result of persistence, collaboration, and a belief that something worthwhile can emerge when people are willing to keep showing up.
We are still at the beginning of the OTMG story. There is much more I want to create, but I hope that as we grow, we never lose the curiosity, resilience, and sense of possibility that brought us here. I want each new project to reflect not only what we have achieved, but also what we have overcome—and to remind us that building something meaningful is never a finished act. It is an ongoing commitment to imagine more, work harder, learn from what does not work, and create places that matter to the people who enter them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.overthemoongroup.com
