Buca di Beppo

Last updated
Buca, Inc.
Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant
Type Subsidiary
IndustryRestaurant
Genre Casual dining
Founded1993;30 years ago (1993)
FounderPhil Roberts
Headquarters
Orlando, Florida
,
U.S.
Number of locations
70
Area served
United States
Key people
 Robert Earl (Chairman)
Products Italian-American food, including spaghetti and meatballs, Fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, ravioli, breadsticks, pizza, submarine sandwiches, and salads
Total equity US$8.8 million[ when? ]
Number of employees
5,000 - 10,000 [1]
Parent Planet Hollywood
Website www.bucadibeppo.com
Buca di Beppo, Livonia, Michigan Buca di Beppo Restaurant Livonia Michigan.jpg
Buca di Beppo, Livonia, Michigan

Buca di Beppo is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American food. The name roughly translates as "Joe's small place" from Italian (buca, which literally means "hole" or "pit", can be a dialectal word in Tuscany for a small room or place, and Beppo is a diminutive of the name Giuseppe). The chain of 81 establishments [2] (76 company-owned, 5 franchises in UK) [3] is owned by Buca, Inc., a subsidiary of Planet Hollywood.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The chain is known for its vintage photographs hung closely spaced throughout the restaurant.[ citation needed ]

Slice of cake at a Buca di Beppo (March 2009) Buca de Beppo Cake.jpg
Slice of cake at a Buca di Beppo (March 2009)

The food at Buca di Beppo is served family style, each item served à la carte and shared among the dining party. Some locations also have a lunch menu, featuring individual-sized portions. Each room at Buca is themed, and all restaurants have a Pope table—the largest single table, round, in a room by itself, with a bust of the Pope as centerpiece.[ citation needed ]

In an attempt to boost sales during 2005, Buca introduced a Buca Mia menu, meaning "My Cellar", with less-expensive portions for two. [4]

Corporate history

Phil Roberts founded Buca di Beppo in 1993 as an imitation of "red sauce joints", Italian-American family restaurants in the northeast United States. Not Italian himself, Roberts wanted his restaurant's stereotypical depiction of Italian-American culture to be "intentionally in bad taste, but good-natured bad taste". He hired Vittorio Renda, a Milanese chef, and Roberts's architect son decorated the restaurant with Italians' family photographs from flea markets. In 1996, a new CEO, Joseph Micatrotto, brought less exaggerated Italian-American cultural depictions, based on his family's history, to the chain as it prepared to go public. [5]

The first restaurant, named Buca Little Italy, was opened in the basement level of a Minneapolis apartment building in 1993 by Twin Cities restaurant company Parasole Restaurant Holdings. Five years later, it was spun off and renamed Buca di Beppo. [6] [7] By 1999, there were 20 locations when Buca, Inc. began trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange.[ citation needed ]

The chain continued to grow, but began to hit some rough spots a few years later. Business losses mounted, and in 2005, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating the company over securities laws. [8] Two top executives left the company, three Buca di Beppo sites were closed, and the company described those restaurants and the Vinny T's chain as "discontinued operations" in fourth quarter 2005 earnings statements.[ citation needed ]

However, on May 22, 2006, the company announced that it would be keeping the Vinny T's stores, but converting them to Buca di Beppo locations. [9] On September 25, 2006, Buca, Inc. sold their 11 Vinny T's of Boston restaurants to Bertucci's Corp. for $6.8 million. [10]

On June 7, 2006, Micatrotto and two other former Buca executives were charged with stealing more than US$200,000 from the company. [11] [5]

On August 5, 2008, Planet Hollywood's parent company, Planet Hollywood International, Inc., agreed to purchase the Buca chain for US$28.5 million. Under terms of the deal, Buca became a wholly owned subsidiary of Planet Hollywood. [12] Its founder, Robert Earl, restored Buca di Beppo's gaudy decor of photographs covering walls. [5]

The Buca di Beppo at Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, opened in 2011. Buca di Beppo in las Vegas at Excalibur.jpg
The Buca di Beppo at Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, opened in 2011.

In 2011, Buca moved its headquarters from Minneapolis to Orlando, Florida, home of its parent company, citing financial incentives. [7] In 2012, Rick Tasman was named CEO & President. [13] In 2015, Rich Saultz was named the new CEO & President and is currently in that position.[ citation needed ]

By 2016, the company had 100 locations in the U.S. and U.K. [14]

As of 2019, the chain has 77 restaurants in 24 states; Honolulu is the highest-grossing location. [5] In 2019, Earl Enterprises announced that a point-of-sale credit card breach affected credit-card users who visited Buca (or other Earl Enterprise-owned restaurants) between May 23, 2018, and March 18, 2019. [15] [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkins Restaurant & Bakery</span> American restaurant chain

Perkins LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain that serves breakfast and other homestyle meals throughout the day in addition to bakery items such as pies, muffins and other sweets. As of October 2023, the company operates 269 locations in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC Theatres</span> American movie theater chain

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. It is the largest movie theater chain in the world. Founded in 1920, AMC has the largest share of the U.S. theater market ahead of Regal and Cinemark Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave & Buster's</span> American restaurant and entertainment business

Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's has a full-service restaurant, full bar, and a video arcade. As of September 2023, the company has 156 locations in the United States, two in Puerto Rico and two in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fazoli's</span> American-Italian fast food company

Fazoli's is an American fast casual restaurant chain headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1988 and is now owned by FAT Brands. As of September 2023, there are 211 Fazoli's located nationwide. The restaurant chain specializes in Italian-American cuisine and dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet Hollywood</span> North American company of theme restaurants inspired by North American cinema

Planet Hollywood International Inc. is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl Enterprises was founded by Robert Earl.

P. F. Chang's China Bistro is an American-based, casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1993 by Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang that serves Asian fusion cuisine. Centerbridge Partners owned and operated Chang's until acquired by the private equity firm TriArtisan Capital Advisors on March 2, 2019. P. F. Chang's is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.

VitaNova Brands, based in San Antonio, Texas, was an operator of a number of American national buffet chain restaurants including subsidiary company Furr's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertucci's</span> U.S. restaurant chain

Bertucci's is an American chain of restaurants offering pizza and Italian food. Bertucci's was founded by Joey Crugnale in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1981. The company expanded rapidly during the 1990s. Bertucci's locations are primarily found in the Northeast US, but range as far south as Virginia. N.E. Restaurant Co. Inc. bought out Bertucci's in 1998, adopting the Bertucci's Co. name in 2001.

Robert Earl is an English-American film producer, investor, restaurateur, and television personality. He is the founder and CEO of Planet Hollywood, chairman of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and host of Robert Earl's Be My Guest television program which airs weekly on the Cooking Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sbarro</span> American pizzeria chain

Sbarro, LLC is an American fast food restaurant that specializes in New York–style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual companies by QSR Magazine. In 2008, Sbarro was rated the No. 1 Quick Service Restaurant in the Italian segment by Entrepreneur magazine. However, diners and critics have criticized the quality of the food, with some suggesting a link between food quality and the company's two bankruptcies. Sbarro has over 600 locations in 28 countries. Sbarro stores are located in shopping malls, airports, service areas, and college campuses, as well as in The Pentagon, American naval bases, and casinos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portillo's Restaurants</span> Chicago-based fast casual restaurant chain

Portillo's Restaurant Group, Inc. is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in the Chicago area that specializes in serving Chicago-style food such as hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polish, and Italian beef. The company was founded by Dick Portillo on April 9, 1963, in Villa Park, Illinois under the name "The Dog House".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Famous Dave's</span> Chain of barbecue restaurants primarily located in the Midwestern US

Famous Dave's of America is a chain of barbecue restaurants primarily located in the Midwestern United States, serving pork ribs, chicken, beef brisket, and several flavors of barbecue sauce. Dave Anderson, an Ojibwe-Choctaw who served as the head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs from 2004 to 2005, started the first Famous Dave's restaurant near Hayward, Wisconsin in 1994. The restaurant chain grew throughout the United States and Puerto Rico in 2014, though all of Famous Dave's Puerto Rico locations closed after Hurricane Maria. It has 180 locations in 33 U.S. states as of 2021 and four international locations, the only Canadian location in Winnipeg, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Dubai.

Romano's Macaroni Grill is a casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. As of November 2023, the company operates 33 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrols Restaurant Group</span> American franchisee company

Carrols Restaurant Group is an American franchisee company and is the largest Burger King franchisee in the world; Carrols owns and operates over 1,000+ Burger Kings, and 55 Popeyes restaurants. The company has operated Burger Kings since 1976 in locations across 23 U.S. states. The company formerly owned the restaurant chains Pollo Tropical, Taco Cabana, and Carrols. The original Carrols chain ceased operations in the United States in the mid-1970s. The last unaffiliated Carrols Restaurants existed in Finland. The chain was eventually bought out by another Finnish fast-food chain, Hesburger. In 2012, Hesburger announced that the brand Carrols would be discontinued, and on the 29th of May, 2012, the last Carrols was renamed Hesburger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cicis</span> American pizza buffet restaurant chain

Cicis, formerly known as CiCi's Pizza, is an American chain of buffet restaurants based in Coppell, Texas, specializing in pizza. The company was founded in 1985, and started franchising by 1987. In November 2015, the company began a new marketing campaign which included the renaming of the company to Cicis, along with the addition of a new logo and redesigned website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timber Lodge Steakhouse</span>

Timber Lodge Steakhouse is a privately owned American steakhouse chain with one location in Minnesota. Formerly a public company, it had eighty-five locations at its peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl's Jr.</span> Fast food restaurant chain

Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in North & South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pie Five</span> American restaurant chain

Pie Five Pizza is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in personal pizza. The brand is owned by Rave Restaurant Group, which also owns Pizza Inn. As of July 2021, Pie Five operates 33 restaurants with locations in the following states: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

References

  1. ↑ "Buca di Beppo". LinkedIn . Sunnyvale, California . Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ https://locations.bucadibeppo.com/index.html Archived 2020-03-01 at the Wayback Machine Buca di Beppo: All locations
  3. ↑ Buca di Beppo: Meet Buca Archived September 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Vomhof Jr., John (March 24, 2006). "Buca loss narrows in Q4 as sales rise". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Krishna, Priya (April 16, 2019). "The Bizarre History of Buca di Beppo, America's Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Parasole story". Parasole Restaurant Holdings. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Burl Gilyard, Buca di Beppo headquarters moving to Florida (update) Archived 2015-05-05 at the Wayback Machine , Finance & Commerce, November 23, 2011, accessed May 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Investor Sues Buca, Inc. for Stock Fraud". Restaurant News Resource. August 11, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2006.
  9. ↑ "Buca backtracks on Vinny T's of Boston sale". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ "BUCA, Inc. Announces Sale of Vinny T's of Boston to Bertucci's Corporation - Business Wire" (Press release). Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The latest from the StarTribune". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ Steve Alexander, Struggling Buca bought by Planet Hollywood Archived March 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 5, 2008, Accessed August 23, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Buca di Beppo names Rick Tasman CEO". nrn.com. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ "8 Family-Style Facts About Buca di Beppo". www.mentalfloss.com. 2016-08-28. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  15. ↑ "Buca di Beppo diners may have had their credit-card details stolen after the restaurant chain's parent company was hit with a major data breach". Houston Chronicle. April 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Hackers steal credit card data from Planet Hollywood, Buca di Beppo customers". USA TODAY. 2019. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.