Marie Callender's

Last updated

Marie Callender’s, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRestaurants
GenreCasual Dining
Founded1948;76 years ago (1948)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
FounderCallender family
(Cal Warren, Don and Marie)
Headquarters Mission Viejo, California, U.S.
ProductsFood
OwnerElite Restaurant Group
Parent Marie Callender's Inc.
Website mariecallenders.com

Marie Callender's is an American restaurant chain. [1] Its headquarters are in the Marie Callender's Corporate Support Center in Mission Viejo, Orange County, California. [2] As of April 2024, the company operates 24 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.

Contents

History

First foundation

In the 1930s, Marie Callender and her husband Cal Warren Callender began selling pies in the city of Long Beach and in Orange County. [3] In 1948, they sold their family car and used the money to set up a wholesale bakery with their son Don. The first official location was opened in 1964. [4]

Eventually, Don opened a retail outlet in Orange, California, naming it after his mother, gradually adding other food. [4] Within five years the chain was expanded to 12 more locations and opened its first locations outside of California (Las Vegas and Houston) in 1969. It grew into 84 locations by the end of the 1970s. However, the Houston location closed down in 1981. In 1996, the company announced that they planned to open three new restaurants in the Houston area once again. At the end, all three remaining locations in Houston closed down in 2001 due to restaurants being unprofitable. [5]

Late 20th century sales

In 1986, the restaurant chain was sold to Ramada Inn, [6] [7] then in 1990, to Wilshire Restaurant Group, Inc. [5] Marie Callender Pie Shops, Inc. was purchased from Saunders Karp & Megrue (SKM) [8] in 1999 by an affiliate of Castle Harlan, a New York-based private equity firm.

The company owned the East Side Mario's restaurant chain from 1997 (when it bought the chain from PepsiCo) to 2000. [9]

Perkins & Marie Callender's Inc

In 2006, Castle Harlan merged Marie Callender's with another of its interests, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery. The combined chain, known as Perkins & Marie Callender's Inc. (PMCI), was headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

The business flourished until Don Callender died on January 7, 2009, due to complications resulting from head trauma sustained during a fall at home. [10]

On June 13, 2011, a total of 58 units were closed, including 31 Marie Callender's and 27 Perkins' due to bankruptcy restructuring (Chapter 11). [11] During bankruptcy, PMCI sold the Marie Callender's brand to ConAgra for US$57.5 million. [12] Later that year, PMCI exited bankruptcy under the control of Wayzata Investment Partners. [13]

Marie Callender's Inc.

On August 5, 2019, 29 stores were closed and the holding company for Perkins and Marie Callender's filed for bankruptcy. [14] [15] The chains were later split apart, with Perkins being bought by Huddle House, while Marie Callender's was sold to Elite Restaurant Group, which formed a new company known as Marie Callender's Inc. to operate the chain, for US$1.75 million. [16] [17]

Business

Restaurants

In later years, a typical restaurant would have a fully stocked bar, or saloon, serving alcoholic beverages. This is in contrast to family restaurants like Denny's or Village Inn, which generally do not serve alcoholic beverages. A salad bar is also a staple.

The type of cuisine served is mainly American, although many of the dishes are slanted towards styles of preparation that resemble Italian, Mexican, French, Cajun, or Chinese. Soups and sandwiches are available as meals or à la carte. Pies are signature items on the dessert menu: there are over 30 varieties available.

The interiors of the chain's earlier restaurants are decorated with antiques circa 1900, providing a theme that is reminiscent of Victorian England as well as early United States. Later restaurants reflect more modern tastes, with a clean interior and photos of food.

Frozen foods

For years the chain has licensed its name for shelf-stable and frozen entrees and sides. Various product licenses were included in a sale to ConAgra Foods in 1994 for $140 million. [5] The name Marie Callender's was retained for the food line following the division's sale. In 2010, its cheesy chicken & rice meal was pulled due to a salmonella outbreak. [18]

Don Callender

Don Callender
Born
Donald W. Callender

(1927-09-27)September 27, 1927
Ventura, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 9, 2009(2009-01-09) (aged 81)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Alma mater Long Beach Poly High School
OccupationBusinessman
Known forMarie Callender's restaurants and pies
Spouse(s)Katy Callender,
Patricia (first, divorce)
Children2 sons, 2 daughters
Parent(s)Cal Warren Callender
Marie Callender (1907–1995)

Donald W. Callender (September 27, 1927 – January 7, 2009) [19] was an American restaurateur and co-founder of the Marie Callender's chain of restaurants, which originated in Southern California. [20] [21] He was also the creator of Babe's Slim Pign's in Redlands, CA, P.H. Woods in Moreno Valley, CA, Top-Gun Restaurant Grill, and Babe's Bar-B-Que & Brewery in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Callender is credited as being among the first restaurateurs to offer franchise operations, with the first Marie Callender's franchisee opening 60 years ago in Orange in 1964. [22] [23]

Biography

In the 1930s, Marie Callender (1907–1995), her husband Cal Warren Callender (1907–1984), and their only child, Don lived in a trailer park in Huntington Beach. Marie baked and sold pies to augment the family's income, with Don delivering her pies to customers on his bicycle. A 1945 graduate of Long Beach Poly High School, he joined the Merchant Marine for a brief tour at the end of World War II and then returned home to southern California. [21]

Callender died at age 81 in 2009 at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, [24] due to complications resulting from head trauma sustained during a fall at his home over a year earlier. [20] [21] [25]

Retail endeavors

By 1948, twenty-one year old Don was working to expand the business by selling pies to restaurants in Long Beach and Orange County. In 1951, he purchased a home on Gondar Ave. in the Plaza area of Long Beach, where the Callender family did their baking before shifting the expanding operation to a Quonset hut on Anaheim St. in Long Beach. Eventually, Don ventured into the retail realm, opening his first outlet in Orange (at 574 N. Tustin St.) and naming it after his mother, Marie. [23] With continued experimentation, he gradually expanded his inventory and added other menu items which would later become Marie Callender fare.

Company sale and other businesses

By the time Callender sold the company in 1986 to Ramada for a reported $80 million, the chain had grown to 120 locations nationwide. [26] Following the sale, Don remained in the restaurant industry, planning to start a second 21,000 square foot (1950 square meter) Babe's in Indio, California. Unfortunately, health issues forced Callender out of the project before seeing the project come to full fruition. The building was subsequently leased to Kaiser Restaurant Group, a local restaurant management consortium. Jackelope Ranch, also in Indio, opened the day after Don passed, as a Southwestern-themed barbecue.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Pioneer Chicken Take Out Corporation, doing business as Pioneer Chicken, is an American fried chicken restaurant chain which was founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles in 1961 by H. R. Kaufman. During the 1970s, several locations operated in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. When Kaufman sold the chain in 1987, there were 270 restaurants operated by 220 franchisees. In 1993, Pioneer Chicken was taken over by AFC Enterprises, the parent company of Popeyes. Almost all Pioneer Chicken locations were then converted to Popeyes. The franchisees of two locations resisted the change, retaining the Pioneer Chicken branding: Los Angeles and Bell Gardens, California.

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

Perkins LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain which serves breakfast and other homestyle meals throughout the day in addition to bakery items including pies, muffins, and other sweets. As of April 2024, the company operates 265 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, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Island</span> Shopping mall in California, U.S.

Fashion Island is an outdoor regional shopping mall in Newport Beach, California. Opened in 1967 by The Irvine Company as the anchor to their master-planned Newport Center district, Fashion Island is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baja Fresh</span> American Tex-Mex restaurant chain

Baja Fresh is an American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California, in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, each restaurant featuring a self-serve salsa bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BJ's Restaurants</span> American restaurant chain

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. is an American restaurant chain, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. The chain operates under the names BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ's Grill, and BJ's Pizza & Grill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakers Square</span> American restaurant chain

Bakers Square Restaurant & Bakery is a casual dining restaurant chain in the United States. Known for its pies, Bakers Square also offers full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The chain is owned by BBQ Holdings. As of April 2024, the company operates 9 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio.

Naugles was a Southern California fast-food Mexican restaurant chain that existed from 1970 to 1995. A revived Naugles chain was established in 2015 by entrepreneur Christian Ziebarth, after it was ruled that the trademarks had been abandoned by the original company's successor, Del Taco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubio's Coastal Grill</span> Mexican-American fast casual restaurant chain

Rubio's Coastal Grill, formerly known as Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill and Rubio's Baja Grill, is an American fast casual "Fresh Mex" or "New Mex" restaurant chain specializing in Mexican food, with an emphasis on fish tacos. As of 2024, Rubio's operates, licenses, or franchises 85 restaurants. 17 restaurants in Arizona, 62 in Southern California, and 6 in Nevada. It previously had locations in northern California, Colorado, Florida and Utah. The chain announced store closings and a bankruptcy filing the same year with plans to sell itself to lenders. It is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. At one time, the company had as many as 196 restaurants through the United States by the end of 2016.

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

Sizzler USA Restaurants, Inc., doing business as Sizzler, is a United States–based restaurant chain with headquarters in Mission Viejo, California, with locations mainly in California, plus some in the nearby states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon, as well as Puerto Rico. It is known for steak, seafood, and salad bar items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrows</span> US restaurant chain

Carrows was a subsidiary of Shari's Cafe & Pies and casual dining restaurant that served breakfast and lunch/dinner in California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco's Bakery</span> U.S. casual dining restaurant chain

Coco's Bakery is a subsidiary chain of Shari's Cafe & Pies and casual dining restaurants operating in the western United States. As of October 2024, the company operates 5 locations in California. It began as The Snack Shop in 1948 in Corona del Mar, California, and had switched owners multiple times. Two of them are franchised

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee's Sandwiches</span> Vietnamese-American restaurant chain

Lee's Sandwiches International, Inc., is a Vietnamese-American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in San Jose, California, with locations in several states and in Taiwan. Lee's Sandwiches specializes in bánh mì, "European-style" baguette sandwiches, Vietnamese iced coffee, and Vietnamese dessert chè. It is credited with popularizing Vietnamese sandwiches and iced coffee among mainstream American consumers and inspiring several other Vietnamese-owned bakery chains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimi's Cafe</span> American restaurant chain

Mimi's Bistro + Bakery is an American restaurant chain. As of April 2024, the company operates 44 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Originally headquartered in Tustin, California, its headquarters moved to Dallas, Texas in 2014 after 36 years in California. It serves French and American food, with French rustic decor and themes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby's Diner</span> Casual dining restaurant chain primarily in California, USA

Ruby's Diner is a California-based U.S. chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1982. The original location was a converted bait shack at the end of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. The restaurants are designed with a retro 1940s/1950s atmosphere. As of 2024, most locations are in Southern California, but there are also locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in Harry Reid International Airport.

Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was a brand of breads and assorted pastry products, frozen fish entrees, and prepared dinners formerly owned by General Baking. Established by one of the founders of both Los Angeles' iconic Tam O'Shanter Inn and the Lawry's restaurant chain and seasoned salt empire, it went bankrupt in 1990.

House of Pies is an American restaurant chain, started c. 1969 by Al Lapin Jr., an early franchise system designer and founder of International Industries Inc. who was also responsible for International House of Pancakes, Copper Penny Coffee Shops, Orange Julius, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Salsa</span> Chain of American fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurants

La Salsa is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Los Angeles, California in 1979, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Pollo Loco (United States)</span> Restaurant chain

El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of: dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.

Slapfish is a fast casual seafood restaurant chain founded by Andrew Gruel. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, as of 2018 there are over 11 locations in the Southwestern United States, with new locations opening in other states including Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.

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

Pieology Pizzeria is a Tustin, California-based pizza chain within the fast-casual dining restaurants category. Founded in 2011 by Carl Chang, the brother of former tennis player Michael Chang, Pieology's mission is to "turn one of America's favorite food into an affordable and interactive experience". Pieology's main rivals are Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. By October 2018, Pieology had a single unit in Mexico plus approximately 140 units in 23 American states and territories with more than half of those restaurants located in the state of California.

References

  1. ↑ "About - Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery". Marie Callender's. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Contact - Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery". Marie Callender's. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ Shin, Tony (August 5, 2019). "Marie Callender's Set to Close 19 Locations in Southern California". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "DON CALLENDER: 1927-2009". Chicago Tribune. January 13, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Elder, Laura Elizabeth (November 24, 1996). "Marie Callender's chain returns for another piece of local pie". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  6. ↑ Horovitz, Bruce (February 7, 1986). "Ramada Inns Purchases Callender's for $90 Million". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Ramada Agrees to Sell Its Marie Callender Pie Chain". Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1989. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ Hernandez, Greg (November 16, 1999). "Marie Callender's Sold for $150 Million". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Marie Callender Parent Buys East Side Mario's Chain". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 1997. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Marie Callender's founder, Don Callender, dies". Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  11. ↑ Luna, Nancy (June 13, 2011). "Marie Callender's closes 31 units amid bankruptcy". Orange County Register . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  12. ↑ "ConAgra bought rights to Marie Callender's brand". Reuters. June 14, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  13. ↑ Stych, Ed (December 2, 2011). "Perkins emerges from bankruptcy with Wayzata firm in control". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  14. ↑ Stempel, Jonathan; Zieminski, Nick (August 5, 2019). "Perkins & Marie Callender's files for bankruptcy". Reuters . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  15. ↑ Luna, Nancy (August 5, 2019). "Perkins & Marie Callender's close 29 restaurants amid bankruptcy filing". Nations Restaurant News . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  16. ↑ Maze, Jonathan (September 13, 2019). "After 13 years and 2 bankruptcies, Perkins and Marie Callender's split up". Restaurant Business.
  17. ↑ Luna, Nancy (November 6, 2019). "Slater's 50/50 owner buys Marie Callender's". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  18. ↑ Weise, Elizabeth (June 18, 2010). "ConAgra recalls Marie Callender's frozen chicken and rice meals". USA Today . Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  19. ↑ Social Security Death Index
  20. 1 2 Noland, Claire (January 11, 2009). "Don Callender, who turned his mom's pie shop in to the Marie Callender's chain, dies at 81". Los Angeles Times. (obituary). Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 Hanson, Kristopher (January 10, 2009). "Poly High grad, who made his mom's pies famous, dies at 81". Long Beach Press-Telegram. (California). Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  22. ↑ Luna, Nancy (January 9, 2009). "Marie Callender's founder remembered as innovator". Orange County Register . (California). Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  23. 1 2 Luna, Nancy (June 6, 2016). "End of an era: Marie Callender's closes first restaurant". Orange County Register. (California). Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Don Callender, 81, Restaurant Entrepreneur, Dies". The New York Times. January 12, 2009. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  25. ↑ Marie Callender's founder, Don Callender, dies
  26. ↑ "Don Callender, 81, Food Entrepreneur, is Dead". The New York Times. January 13, 2009.
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.