Brad Blum is the Co-Owner of FoodFirst Global Restaurants. He was the Founder, Chairman & CEO of FoodFirst Global Restaurants, Inc., upon the establishment of the company in May 2018. Previously he was the CEO of Burger King from December 2002 to July 2, 2004. He joined the company from Darden Restaurants where he had headed the Olive Garden unit, but left after only 18 months citing strategic differences with Burger King's board. Blum's successor, Greg Brenneman, was appointed on August 1, 2004. Blum was the CEO of Romano's Macaroni Grill from December 2008 to July 2010.
Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States and Canada, as well as in China, Ecuador, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates; as of June 23, 2020, the company had 719 locations worldwide. Golden Gate Capital was Red Lobster's parent company after it was acquired from Darden Restaurants on July 28, 2014. Seafood supplier Thai Union acquired a 25 percent stake in the company in 2016 for a reported $575 million, and in 2020 purchased the remaining portion from GGC.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando, Florida. As of May 2023, the firm owns three fine dining restaurant chains: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Eddie V's and The Capital Grille; and seven casual dining restaurant chains: Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Burger, Yard House and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. Until July 28, 2014, Darden also owned Red Lobster. Darden has more than 1,800 restaurant locations and more than 175,000 employees, making it the world's largest full-service restaurant company.
Sonny's BBQ is a barbecue restaurant chain founded by Floyd "Sonny" Tillman in Gainesville, Florida, in 1968. Bob Yarmuth purchased the company in 1991 and continues as the company's owner and CEO today. As of 2016, Sonny's BBQ has 113 restaurants across eight Southeastern states and is headquartered in Maitland, Florida. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style BBQ.
Barbeques Galore is Australia's biggest specialist BBQs and outdoor furniture retailer, owned by Quadrant Private Equity It specializes in barbecue grills, accessories and consumables. There are over 90 stores in Australia, and several authorised dealers internationally.
Romacorp Inc., which does business as Tony Roma's, is an American casual dining chain restaurant specializing in baby back ribs. The first location was established by the founder, Tony Roma, in 1972 in North Miami, Florida. Clint Murchison Jr. purchased a majority stake in the restaurant in 1976, and he and Roma established the jointly owned Roma Corporation. The first international location opened in 1979 in Tokyo, followed by an international expansion with both company-owned stores and franchises. As of 2020, there are over 115 locations on six continents.
Miami Grill, formerly Miami Subs Grill, is an American privately held restaurant chain, based in the US state of Florida. The chain has approximately 30 locations, the majority of which are in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County Florida. The company's menu consists of such items as wings, philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and Gyros along with items from Arthur Treacher's and Nathan's Famous hot dogs, all of which operate co-branding agreements with Miami Grill, and which were corporate siblings of Miami Subs from 1999 to 2007.
Kansas City–style barbecue is a slowly smoked meat barbecue originating in Kansas City, Missouri in the early 20th century. It has a thick, sweet sauce derived from brown sugar, molasses, and tomatoes. Henry Perry is credited as its originator, as two of the oldest Kansas City–style barbecue restaurants still in operation trace their roots back to Perry's pit.
China Coast was a casual dining American restaurant chain owned by Darden Restaurants Inc., specializing in American Chinese cuisine.
Christopher B. "Stubb" Stubblefield, Sr. was an American barbecue restaurateur, music patron and a Barbecue Hall of Famer, known for his barbecue sauces, rubs and marinades distributed by Stubb's Legendary Kitchen, Inc.
Weber Inc. is an American manufacturer of charcoal, gas, and electric outdoor grills with related accessories. It also owns restaurants and publishes cookbooks.
Clarence Otis Jr. is an American businessman and former CEO and chairman of Darden Restaurants. Otis was named the 11th most powerful person in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel in 2010.
Blue Ribbon BBQ is a family-owned chain of barbecue restaurants in the Greater Boston area. The restaurants offer an assortment of authentic regional southern wood-smoked barbecue.
Wayne Mark Schafer is an East Coast barbecue pitmaster and owner of Big Fat Daddy's concession stands and catering.
Billy Sims BBQ is an American restaurant chain founded by former professional football player, Billy Sims and his business partner, Jeff Jackson. In 2004, Sims and Jackson opened the first Billy Sims BBQ location in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The brand is supported by 54 locations operating across nine states. Billy Sims BBQ is a fast casual dining restaurant.
A barbecue restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in barbecue-style cuisine and dishes. Barbecue restaurants may open relatively early compared to other restaurants, in part to optimize sales while barbecued foods being slow-cooked by the process of smoking are being tended to by restaurant personnel on premises. In some instances, this can enable the sales of barbecued meats that began being smoked the night before the next business day. Per these logistics, a significant portion of their sales may occur during lunchtime. Additionally, high lunch turnover at barbecue restaurants may occur per the foods being cooked and sold in large batches. Popular food items may sell out earlier compared to others, which may encourage customers to arrive earlier. In January 2015, the U.S. National Restaurant Association forecast "barbecue, Italian food and fried chicken" to be "top perennial menu favorites in 2015".
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.
FAT Brands Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.
Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company is an American restaurant chain based in Washington, D.C., primarily serving barbecued dishes. As of 2024, it has four locations in two states. The company also operates food trucks and provides catering. It is one of the most prominent barbecue chains on the East Coast.
