43 articles
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Ruth's Chris Steak House, founded by Ruth Fertel in New Orleans in 1965, is an upscale steakhouse chain known for 1,800-degree-broiled USDA Prime steaks served sizzling in butter on 500-degree plates, franchised from 1976 and acquired by Darden Restaurants in 2023 for $715 million.
Shake Shack
Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) is an American fast-casual burger chain founded by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, starting as a 2001 Madison Square Park hot dog cart, permanent kiosk in 2004, IPO in 2015, 659 Shacks system-wide at the end of 2025.
Shoney's
Shoney's, also Shoney's Big Boy, is a Nashville-headquartered American family-dining restaurant chain founded in 1947 in Charleston, West Virginia, famous for its Fresh Food Bar breakfast buffet and hot fudge cake; it grew past 1,300 locations before bankruptcy and now operates fewer than 60 restaurants in about 16 states.
Sizzler
Sizzler: American casual family steakhouse chain founded January 27, 1958 in Culver City, California by Del and Helen Johnson; known for inexpensive steaks, seafood, and the all-you-can-eat salad bar; peaked at 646 units in 1989, filed bankruptcy in 2020, now 74 U.S. units with Thailand and Japan franchises.
Smashburger
Smashburger, also called Smashburger restaurant chain, is a Denver-based American fast casual burger chain founded in 2007 by Tom Ryan, known for griddle-smashed Certified Angus Beef patties, SmashFries, and full ownership by the Philippines' Jollibee Group.
Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based casual dining steakhouse chain founded by Kent Taylor in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, operating Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, and Jaggers, with 832 restaurants and about $5.9 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue.
TGI Fridays
TGI Fridays, the American casual dining bar and grill chain founded by Alan Stillman in New York in 1965, peaked at 601 U.S. restaurants in 2008, entered Chapter 11 in November 2024, and now operates under Sugarloaf ownership with a 2030 turnaround plan.
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory: American upscale casual dining chain founded by the Overton family, bakery 1972, first restaurant Beverly Hills 1978; NASDAQ CAKE, 368 company-owned restaurants, 250+ item scratch menu, 30+ cheesecakes.
Trader Vic's
Trader Vic's is a Polynesian-themed restaurant chain founded by Victor Bergeron, who renamed his Oakland bar Hinky Dinks in 1938. Known for claiming the 1944 Mai Tai and rivaling Don the Beachcomber.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Tropical Smoothie Cafe: American fast-casual smoothie and food franchise chain founded in Destin, Florida, in 1997 (first franchise Tallahassee, 1998), about 1,800 U.S. units in 44 states, ~$1M average unit volume, owned by Blackstone since 2024, CEO Max Wetzel.
Twin Peaks (restaurant chain)
Twin Peaks is an American sports bar restaurant chain founded in 2005 in Lewisville, Texas, with about 115 locations known for made-from-scratch food, 29-degree draft beer, and wall-to-wall televisions in a rustic lodge setting.
Waffle House
Waffle House: 24-hour Southern diner chain founded 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia by Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner; over 2,000 restaurants in 25 states, privately held, known for the FEMA Waffle House Index.
Wagamama (わがまま)
Wagamama (わがまま, Japanese for "selfish") is a British pan-Asian restaurant chain founded by Alan Yau in Bloomsbury, London, in 1992, inspired by Tokyo ramen bars; 165 UK and 62 international restaurants as of December 2025, owned by Apollo Global Management.