Well done.Burgers, salads and other standard fare fuel the Daily Grill's voracious appetite for growth The operators of the Daily Grill eyed their competition over at Hamburger Hamlet a few months back and did what has come naturally they swallowed it up. "I honestly feel the Daily Grill is the 1990s version of Hamburger Hamlet," says Bob Spivak, president of Grill Concepts Inc., which plans to acquire most of the Hamburger Hamlet chain. During the 1960s and 1970s, Hamburger Hamlet became a restaurant icon in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and elsewhere with its burgers, chili, salads - the sort of no-nonsense quality offerings that had mass appeal. Those same principles helped propel Grill Concepts from $3 million in annual sales (at one restaurant) in 1989, the first full year the company was in business, to $20 million and nine restaurants in 1995. But success in the restaurant business involves more than just quality food. The timing also needs to be right - and it's here that Grill Concepts has had good fortune. Spivak and his two partners, Mike Weinstock and Dick Shapiro, opened The Grill in 1984 - the very tony Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. restaurant that nicely fit Southern California's expense-account culture during the 1980s (and which continues to thrive). Four years later, the partners decided on a downscale To resize lower or convert down. See scale, downsample and downconvert. version of The Grill. Again their timing was good (even though they didn't realize it at the time). The recession was right around the corner and consumers would soon be wanting to eat at more casual restaurants that offered good value. They also would discover that in the 90s, customers would shy away from Verb 1. shy away from - avoid having to deal with some unpleasant task; "I shy away from this task" avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her" spending big-bucks for multi-course meals, opting instead for simple, moderately priced fare. The partners formed Grill Concepts and opened the first Daily Grill in Brentwood in late 1988. It was less expensive and more approachable than The Grill. It also was a place customers could theoretically patronize pa·tron·ize tr.v. pa·tron·ized, pa·tron·iz·ing, pa·tron·iz·es 1. To act as a patron to; support or sponsor. 2. To go to as a customer, especially on a regular basis. 3. every day, hence the name. Between 1990 and 1994, Grill Concepts opened one new Daily Grill each year in Southern California. Customer service is the No. 1 goal, Spivak says. Take the matter of substitutions. Spivak remembers one time a patron wanted nine substitutions in a seven-ingredient cobb salad. By 1994, Grill Concepts was ready to expand more rapidly. In 1995, it acquired Magellan Restaurant Systems, a publicly traded company publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. based in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of that operated three Pizzeria Uno restaurants. Grill Concepts saw this acquisition as the vehicle for Daily Grill to open eateries on the East Coast. Then, in April, Grill Concepts legally acquired The Grill, which had been owned by a limited partnership formed back in 1984 by the three partners. Also this year, Grill Concepts plans to open three restaurants, says Spivak - one in Irvine, one at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport “LAX” redirects here. For other uses, see LAX (disambiguation). “KLAX” redirects here. For other uses, see KLAX (disambiguation). Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX , and one in Washington, D.C. Next year, four more restaurants in Washington D.C., are expected to open, as well as one in a new market - Chicago. And then there's Grill Concepts' plans to acquire most or all of the 19 Hamburger Hamlet eateries, which have been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since last December. Spivak says he hopes to keep most of the chain's current employees, but train them to operate the eateries using the same concepts as the Daily Grill. Grill Concepts also plans to refocus the Hamlet menu on its core tradition of hamburgers, he says. And it will keep offering specialties the chain is known for, such as lobster bisque bisque 1 n. 1. a. A rich, creamy soup made from meat, fish, or shellfish. b. A thick cream soup made of puréed vegetables. 2. Ice cream mixed with crushed macaroons or nuts. and french onion soup French onion soup is an onion and beef broth based soup traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings. Although ancient in origin, this dish underwent a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s due to the growth of French cooking in the United States. . Otherwise, the menu will be brought up to Grill Concepts standards, including fresh fish, chicken and vegetable dishes. Grill Concepts also plans to remodel re·mod·el tr.v. re·mod·eled also re·mod·elled, re·mod·el·ing also re·mod·el·ling, re·mod·els also re·mod·els To make over in structure or style; reconstruct. or refurbish each Hamlet outlet as needed as needed prn. See prn order. , Spivak says. RELATED ARTICLE: Spotlight Grill Concepts Inc. Year founded: 1988 Headquarters: Brentwood Core business: Restaurants Employees in 1989: 75 Employees now: 800 Revenues in 1989: $3 million Revenues in 1995: $20 million No. of restaurants: 10 (six Daily Grills, one The Grill, three Pizzeria Unos) Partners: Bob Spivak, Mike Weinstock, Dick Shapiro Driving force: Providing good quality food at a reasonable price. |
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