COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 722211

Limited-Service Eating Restaurants

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

69companies1907–2003founding years69still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc.
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedWhite Castle System, Inc.
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedArmy and Air Force Exchange Service
1941
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSapporo Breweries Limited
1949
FoundedMcDonald's Corporation
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMarie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc.
1964
FoundedPancho's Mexican Buffet, Inc.
1968
FoundedChurch's Chicken
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedRTM Restaurant Group
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSbarro, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedLa Madeleine French Bakery & Café
1982
FoundedBruegger's Corporation
1983
FoundedCulver Franchising System, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRubio's Restaurants, Inc.
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedMcAlister's Corporation
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedElior SA
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedPapa John's International, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedNoodles & Company, Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. →
Active · founded 1907 · Canada
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc.
MITROPA AG →
Active · founded 1916 · Germany
German-based MITROPA AG is Germany's fourth largest restaurant chain and one of Europe's leading caterers for people on…
Nathan's Famous, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Nathan's Famous, Inc.
White Castle System, Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Considered the first fast-food hamburger chain and known for its unique steam-grilled patties, White Castle System, Inc.
Greyhound Lines, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Greyhound Lines, Inc.
The Krystal Company →
Active · founded 1932
The Krystal Company develops, operates, and franchises a chain of fast-food hamburger restaurants in the southeastern…
Friendly Ice Cream Corporation →
Active · founded 1935
Friendly Ice Cream Corporation is one of the top names in ice cream in the northeastern United States.
Army and Air Force Exchange Service →
Active · founded 1941
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is a government agency within the Department of Defense that operates…
Long John Silver's →
Active · founded 1946
World War II Years Lederer is forced to close ten of his 13 White Tavern Shoppes because of shortages.
Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne S.A. →
Active · founded 1948 · Luxembourg
Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne S.A.
Winchell's Donut Houses Operating Company, L.P. →
Active · founded 1948
Winchell's Donut Houses Operating Company, L.P.
Sapporo Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
Skyline Chili, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Skyline Chili, Inc.
The Riese Organization →
Active · founded 1953
The Riese Organization is composed of a group of private corporations--perhaps 200 or more--that owns and operates…
Burger King Corporation →
Active · founded 1954
Burger King Corporation is the second largest fast-food chain in the United States, trailing only McDonald's.
McDonald's Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Since its incorporation in 1955, McDonald's Corporation has not only become the world's largest quick-service…
Sonic Corp. →
Active · founded 1959
Sonic Corp.
Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc., is a privately owned, family-run company based in the small town of Rocky Mount, North…
International Dairy Queen, Inc. →
Active · founded 1962
International Dairy Queen, Inc.
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc.
Doctor's Associates Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
With more than 22,000 worldwide locations, Subway-owned and operated by privately held Doctor's Associates Inc.--is…
Domino's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
Privately held Domino's, Inc.
Wall Street Deli, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Wall Street Deli, Inc.
Pancho's Mexican Buffet, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Pancho's Mexican Buffet, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas, owns and operates 47 restaurants, principally in Texas, but…
Tubby's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Tubby's, Inc.
Captain D's, LLC →
Active · founded 1969
The smaller Captain D's format was ideally suited for a new potential growth area for the chain: military installations.
Church's Chicken →
Active · founded 1969
A division of AFC Enterprises, Inc., Church's Chicken owns and franchises more than 1,500 fast food chicken restaurants…
Taco John's International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Taco John's International, Inc.
Schlotzsky's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
John C.
Panda Management Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Panda Management Company, Inc.
RTM Restaurant Group →
Active · founded 1973
Atlanta, Georgia-based RTM Restaurant Group is the largest operator of Arby's restaurants, with more than 780…
Wendy's International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Wendy's International, Inc.
Blimpie International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Blimpie International, Inc.
Dean & DeLuca, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
For the ultimate American gastronome, there is just one place: Dean & DeLuca, Inc.
Sbarro, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Sbarro, Inc., owns, operates, and franchises an international chain of family-oriented Italian restaurants under the…
Taco Cabana, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Taco Cabana, Inc., operates and franchises 123 restaurants that serve Mexican and Tex-Mex food in Texas, Oklahoma, and…
Matt Prentice Restaurant Group →
Active · founded 1980
The Matt Prentice Restaurant Group runs more than a dozen eateries in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan, and…
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., runs a chain of more than 200 chicken wing restaurants, which are located around the United…
La Madeleine French Bakery & Café →
Active · founded 1982
La Madeleine French Bakery & Café, headquartered in Dallas, where it was founded by Patrick Esquerre in 1982, operates…
Montana Coffee Traders, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
In its commitment to community and environment, MCT set up programs that contributed part of its sales to various…
Zingerman's Community of Businesses →
Active · founded 1982
Zingerman's Community of Businesses encompasses a delicatessen, a full-service restaurant, a catering service, a…
Accor S.A. →
Active · founded 1983 · France
Paris-based Accor S.A.
Bruegger's Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Bruegger's Corporation, the first major bagel chain in the United States, operates a chain of approximately 250 stores…
Buffets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Buffets, Inc.
Hoss's Steak and Sea House Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
With its headquarters located in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, Hoss's Steak and Sea House Inc.
Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc., brings the trademark cuisine of one of America's most celebrated chefs to an audience…
Culver Franchising System, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Culver's Franchising System, Inc.
Rally's →
Active · founded 1984
A unit of Checker's Drive-In Restaurants Inc., Rally's is a chain of limited-menu, fast-food establishments featuring…
Boston Market Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Boston Market Corporation--formerly Boston Chicken Inc.--grew rapidly after its start in 1985.
Rubio's Restaurants, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Rubio's Restaurants, Inc.
SFI Group plc →
Active · founded 1986 · United Kingdom
Woking-based SFI Group plc is one of the United Kingdom's fastest-growing operators of drinking and eating…
Back Yard Burgers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Back Yard Burgers, Inc.
TelePizza S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Fast-growing TelePizza S.A.
McAlister's Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
McAlister's Corporation, based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, operates fast-casual restaurants under the McAlister's Deli,…
Fatburger Corporation →
Active · founded 1990
Fatburger Corporation, based in Santa Monica, California, operates and franchises more than 50 hamburger restaurants…
Fresh Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
A subsidiary of Wendy's International, Inc., Fresh Enterprises, Inc.
Jamba Juice Company →
Active · founded 1990
Based in San Francisco, Jamba Juice Company has more than 350 company and licensed stores spread across 23 states and…
Elior SA →
Active · founded 1991 · France
Elior SA is one of the top three contract catering groups in Europe--and number one in France and Spain.
Fili Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Fili Enterprises, Inc., operates a chain of more than 50 fast-casual Greek restaurants called Daphne's Greek Café.
AFC Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
AFC Enterprises, Inc., through its ownership of the Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits and Churchs Chicken chains, holds the…
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Papa John's International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Papa John's International, Inc.
Briazz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Briazz, Inc., operates 45 cafés and kiosks selling high-end, pre-packaged sandwiches and salads in Seattle, San…
Einstein/Noah Bagel Corporation →
Active · founded 1995
Einstein/Noah Bagel Corporation is the number one chain of retail bagel stores, with more than 433 Einstein Brothers…
Garden Fresh Restaurant Corporation →
Active · founded 1995
Garden Fresh Restaurant Corporation is one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in southern California.
Noodles & Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Noodles & Company, Inc.
Yum! Brands Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Yum!
Ilitch Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Ranked 284 on the Forbes list of largest private companies, Ilitch Holdings Inc.
Raving Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 2003
Raving Brands, Inc., is an Atlanta-based private company with a portfolio of five fun and irreverent franchise…
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