There was no farewell fanfare, but a last seating took place at two Hawaii restaurants Wednesday night that marked the end of a career for a veteran restaurateur in the state.

Many longtime local residents might not recognize the veteran’s name or pronounce it correctly the first time, but they or someone they know almost certainly has eaten at or worked at a restaurant owned by Randy Schoch.

Schoch, after 46 years in the business where he started as a busboy and acquired ownership in close to 35 restaurants in several states, completed an exit with the sale of two Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurants at Ala Moana Center and in Waikoloa on Hawaii island Wednesday to the chain’s franchiser.

Schoch (pronounced “shock”) never had his name on any of the eateries he owned, like a high-profile celebrity chef-owner, but his name is big in the industry.

During his career Schoch had record-setting revenue as a franchisee, partnered with TV stars and a celebrity chef, had a restaurant destroyed by a hurricane and another that flirted with bankruptcy during a postwar economic downturn.

The collection of businesses Schoch owned in Hawaii, sometimes with partners, included Nick’s Fishmarket in Waikiki, six Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants, The Black Orchid, Poipu Bay Grill &Bar and the two Macaroni Grills.

Schoch also had a collection on the mainland, including a few Roy’s Restaurants and several under the names Thaifoon Taste of Asia and Ling &Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill.

Three years ago the now 63-year-old Schoch decided it was time to divest the last pieces of his empire after prior sales that included the Roy’s and Thaifoon holdings.

“I was working too hard and flying around too much,” said the married father of two grown children, who spends summers in Hawaii and winters in Arizona. “It wasn’t going to end well for me or the business. It was time to unwind the company.”

Two years ago Schoch sold his six Ruth’s Chris restaurants for $35 million to the franchiser of that brand. Then he sold Ling &Louie’s to senior management early this year.

Aaron Placourakis, a contemporary of Schoch who operates five restaurants on Maui as president of Tri-Star Restaurant Group, said Schoch is one of Hawaii’s few remaining major “old-school” restaurateurs who worked their way up from a service position at a young age.

“I’m really proud of him to get out on his terms,” said Placourakis, who is 62. “That’s pretty rare. He made the great escape. He deserves it. He’s a hell of a guy.”

Schoch said he plans to pursue financial investments as a silent partner and spend more time in recreation.

His career in the restaurant business started in Waikiki after Schoch, who was raised in Pasadena, Calif., moved to Hawaii right out of high school in part because of surfing.

Knowing no one here at the time, Schoch rented part of a Hawaii Kai home where he slept on the floor and caught the bus to a new busboy job at Rex’s Restaurant in Waikiki. He worked his way up to waiter and assistant manager, and after a stint at a Maui restaurant, he became the manager at Nick’s Fishmarket after the owner of Rex’s, Rex Chandler, bought Nick’s in 1980.

Schoch bought a stake in Nick’s in 1984, which began his run as an owner. In 1988 Schoch partnered with the late Pat Bowlen, who owned the Denver Broncos football team and part of Nick’s, along with stars in the original “Magnum, P.I.” TV series Tom Sel­leck and Larry Manetti to open Black Orchid at Restaurant Row in Kakaako.

The low point in Schoch’s career was Black Orchid nearly failing after the 1990-91 Gulf War brought on a severe economic downturn in the state. Soon afterward he gave up ownership, and the restaurant closed in 1994. “It was pretty painful,” Schoch recalled. “It was brutal times.”

Hurricane Iniki wrecking the Poipu Bay Grill &Bar on Kauai in 1992 was another devastating career event.

In 1995, after he became an owner of the Ruth’s Chris at Restaurant Row, Schoch moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., to run other Ruth’s Chris restaurants for Paul Fleming, who was establishing the P.F. Chang’s chain. This work lasted relatively briefly, then led to Schoch developing a few Roy’s restaurants on the mainland before later selling them to the parent of Outback Steakhouse.

Schoch also established the Thaifoon and Ling &Louie’s chains on the mainland while also opening several new Ruth’s Chris restaurants in Hawaii.

One high mark of Schoch’s career was having eight restaurants in Hawaii on four islands. He said at one point his Hawaii restaurants employed 800 people and that accounting for turnover spanning years, there could have been 10,000 to 15,000 people who worked there. Schoch also estimates that his Hawaii restaurants served around 20 million meals.

“I owe the people of Hawaii a debt of gratitude for all the support they’ve given me,” he said. “Forty- six years was a pretty good run.”