189 articles
MrBeast Burger
MrBeast Burger is a delivery-only virtual restaurant brand launched December 2020 by YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson with Virtual Dining Concepts; it peaked at 1,700 locations, opened one physical store, and became the subject of 2023 lawsuits.
MTY Food Group
MTY Food Group is a Canadian restaurant franchisor based in Saint-Laurent, Québec, owning more than 80 food brands and about 7,080 locations, founded by Stanley Ma in 1979.
Nando's
Nando's, a South African casual-dining chain founded in 1987 in Rosettenville, Johannesburg by Fernando Duarte and Robbie Brozin, serves flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken; privately held (Enthoven family), over 20 countries, distinct from Portuguese or British chains.
Nathan's Famous
Nathan's Famous, founded 1916 by Nathan Handwerker on Coney Island, is an American hot dog brand and Nasdaq-listed company (NATH) known for its July 4 eating contest and its pending $450 million acquisition by Smithfield Foods.
Oldest McDonald's restaurant
Oldest McDonald's restaurant: the 1953 drive-up stand at 10207 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, California, third built and oldest still operating; the original 1940 San Bernardino site is now an unofficial museum.
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse: American casual-dining steakhouse chain with an Australian theme, founded March 1988 in Tampa by Sullivan, Basham, Gannon, and Cooper; known for the Bloomin' Onion, 'No Rules, Just Right', and ownership by Bloomin' Brands.
Panera Bread
Panera Bread, also called St. Louis Bread Company, is an American fast casual bakery-cafe chain whose first cafe opened in 1987, now spanning more than 2,200 locations.
Papa John's
Papa John's (Papa Johns, PZZA) is an American pizza delivery and carryout chain founded by John Schnatter in 1984 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The world's third-largest pizza delivery company operates about 6,000 restaurants in roughly 50 countries, mostly franchised, and is pursuing a turnaround under CEO Todd Penegor.
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood: movie-themed restaurant chain founded 1991 by Keith Barish and Robert Earl with celebrity stockholders Schwarzenegger, Willis, Stallone, Moore; peaked at 87 outlets, went bankrupt twice, now an Earl Enterprises licensing brand.
Portillo's Restaurants
Portillo's Restaurants: Chicago-area fast-casual chain founded in 1963 by Dick Portillo as 'The Dog House' in Villa Park, Illinois, with $1,100; now over 100 restaurants in 11 states, Nasdaq-listed as PTLO, known for Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs.
Pret a Manger
Pret a Manger (Pret), British sandwich and coffee chain founded in London in 1986 by Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham; shop-kitchen same-day food, organic arabica coffee, Club Pret £5/month drink subscription, 717 shops in 20 markets, £1.2bn 2024 system sales.
Qdoba
Qdoba (QDOBA Mexican Eats) is an American fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain founded in Denver in 1995 as Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill, later Z-TECA. Over 850 locations; owned by Butterfly Equity since 2022; known for free guacamole and queso.
Quiznos
Quiznos is an American toasted-sub sandwich chain founded in Denver in 1981 by Jimmy Lambatos. It peaked near 4,700 U.S. stores in 2007, collapsed to about 150 after lawsuits and 2014 bankruptcy, and is owned by High Bluff Capital Partners.
Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe is a jungle-themed family restaurant chain with animatronic animals, waterfalls, and simulated thunderstorms, founded by Steven Schussler and opened first at the Mall of America in 1994.
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is an American fast-food chain founded by Todd Graves in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, known for its limited chicken-finger menu.
Rax Roast Beef
Rax Roast Beef, also called Rax Restaurants, is a roast-beef fast-food chain founded 1967 in Springfield, Ohio by Jack Roschman, peaking at 504 stores in the mid-1980s; six Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois locations remain under Richard Donohue.
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc (1902–1984), American businessman who built McDonald's into the world's largest restaurant franchise; joined as franchise agent in 1954, opened Des Plaines restaurant 1955, bought the McDonald brothers out for $2.7 million in 1961.
Red Lobster
Red Lobster is an American casual dining seafood chain founded by Bill Darden in Lakeland, Florida, in 1968, known for Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Endless Shrimp; it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024 and now operates about 540 restaurants under RL Investor Holdings.
Red Robin
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is an American casual dining burger chain founded in Seattle in 1969, originating as Sam's Tavern in the 1940s. Known for Bottomless Steak Fries; 475 North American locations as of fiscal 2025; Nasdaq-listed as RRGB since 2002.
Richard and Maurice McDonald
Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald, New Hampshire-born brothers, founded McDonald's Bar-B-Que in San Bernardino in 1940 and invented the 1948 Speedee Service System, the assembly-line, self-service fast-food model, before selling the name and system to Ray Kroc for $2.7 million in 1961.
Rocky Aoki (青木廣彰)
Rocky Aoki (青木廣彰, Hiroaki Aoki, 1938–2008), Japanese-born American restaurateur, wrestler, and adventurer; founded Benihana in New York in 1964, popularizing teppanyaki performance dining; father of Steve and Devon Aoki.
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald, also known in Japan as Donald McDonald, is the clown mascot of McDonald's, created in 1963 and first played by Willard Scott; named national spokesman in 1966, he faded from advertising after 2016 clown-sighting fears and health criticism.
Roy Rogers Restaurants
Roy Rogers Restaurants is a Mid-Atlantic fast-food chain founded by Marriott in 1968, named for the cowboy actor, known for its Fixin's Bar and burgers, fried chicken, and roast beef; owned by the Plamondon family since 2002 with about 40 locations.
Ruby Tuesday (restaurant)
Ruby Tuesday is an American casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1972 in Knoxville, Tennessee, known for its burgers and all-you-can-eat Garden Bar salad station.
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.
S. Truett Cathy
S. Truett Cathy (1921-2014), American restaurateur, founder of Chick-fil-A; opened the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia in 1946, invented the pressure-cooked chicken sandwich in 1961, opened the first Chick-fil-A at Greenbriar Mall, Atlanta in 1967, and kept restaurants closed on Sundays.
Salad Bowls
Salad bowls: build-your-own mixed salad and grain bowls sold by fast-casual chains (nicknamed 'slop bowls'), also the name of a 1948–1955 Phoenix college football bowl game, a Jeffreys Bay surf break, and a St. Louis cafeteria.
Sambo's
Sambo's was an American pancake-house chain founded in Santa Barbara in 1957 by Sam Battistone Sr. and Newell Bohnett, peaking at 1,117 restaurants in 47 states before 1981 bankruptcy; its last location became Chad's in 2020.
Sbarro
Sbarro is an American fast-casual restaurant chain selling New York-style pizza by the slice, founded in 1956 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and now based in Columbus, Ohio.
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.