Rachel Cope

Co-Founder & CEO at 84 Hospitality Group

Speaker

Rachel Cope is the Founder & CEO of 84 Hospitality Group, the Oklahoma-based restaurant company she launched in 2013 out of a converted laundromat in OKC's Plaza District. Today, that single space has grown into a portfolio of distinctive concepts — including Empire Slice House, Goro Ramen, Burger Punk, and the recently opened Italian-American restaurant Elisabetta — employing more than 400 people across Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, and Stillwater. Empire Slice House, her flagship NY-style pizza concept, was named 2018 Independent Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today and is the first local restaurant vendor on the concourse of Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rachel has been instrumental in shaping Oklahoma City's dining identity and helping establish the city as an emerging culinary destination — work recognized in 2026 when she was named a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur. Above all, she operates by one rule: be a good human.