Hal Smith Restaurants, since 1986, has grown to locations in seven states across the Midwest and they include such brands as Charleston’s restaurant, El Huevo, The Garage, Hefner Grill, Louie’s Grill & Bar, Mahogany Prime Steakhouse, Mama Roja Mexican Kitchen, Neighborhood JA.M., Pub W, Redrock Canyon Grill, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Brill, Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza, Winston, and Jimmy B’s Culinary + Krafted.

Reston, Virginia-based Thompson Hospitality was founded in 1992 and now includes 14 restaurant brands — from Milk & Honey to Matchbox to Maker’s Union — as well as campus dining, facilities management, and joint ventures divisions. The company finished 2023 with 63 restaurant locations and is still growing, both through acquisitions and original brands.

Atlas Restaurant Group got its start in 2010 with a deli in Baltimore’s Harbor East neighborhood. Since, the company has grown to 50 restaurants, bars, and entertainment concepts in five states, and about 3,000 team members. Its restaurants span everything from fine dining to fast casual to historic neighborhood taverns in in Maryland, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania.  

Indigo Road was founded by restaurateur Steve Palmer in 2005 with the opening of Oak Steakhouse in Charleston, S.C. It has since grown to 36 restaurants and six hotels throughout the Southeast, with plans for more growth in the near future. Its modern Japanese concept O-Ku will open three locations in the next year alone, while its rustic Italian concept Indaco is planning its seventh location.

FB Society, born as Front Burner restaurants, has such brands as The Food Hall Co., Haywire, Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, The Ranch, Ida Claire, Son of a Butcher Slider Bar, Sixty Vines Wine & Dine, and Mexican Sugar. The company was cofounded by Randy DeWitt and Jack Gibbons.

Throughout the last 25 years, chef and humanitarian José Andrés and his partners have been growing the José Andrés Group, which now includes nearly 40 concepts in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Washington, D.C., The Bahamas, and Dubai. It also includes José Andrés Media, formed in 2021.   

Bluegrass Hospitality Group was cofounded by Brian McCarty and Bruce Drake in 1998. The Lexington, Ky.-based restaurant group now has 33 units across six concepts — Malone’s, Malone’s Prime Events & Receptions, Harry’s, Drake’s, Aqua Sushi, and OBC Kitchen — throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Alabama.

LM Restaurants touts itself as one of the fastest growing companies in North Carolina, driven by its mission to “nourish” its people as a family-owned company, and its focus on giving back to its communities. The Raleigh-based group has nine restaurant brands in its portfolio, including Carolina Ale House, a’Verde, Lucky Fish, and Vidrio.

Artistry Restaurants is a diverse restaurant platform made up of four brands and 30-plus locations and growing. Its founders have owned 24 restaurant brands and acquired or developed more than 130 fast-casual, casual, polished casual, and fine-dining restaurants spanning 21 states.

The Michelin-starred British chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his television shows, also has a large number of restaurants in the United States and the United Kingdom. The U.S. restaurants under Gordon Ramsay Restaurants include Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay’s Kitchen, and namesake burger, fish and chips, street pizza, pub and grill, steak, and food market concepts.

Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts introduced its first location — a Daiquiri Paradise — in 1989 and has grown at a rapid pace since. There are now 25 concepts in New Orleans as well as in new markets like Covington, Miss., and Alabama.

Tampa-based Ciccio Restaurant Group counts 10 concepts within its portfolio, from Fresh Kitchen and Daily Eats to Taco Dirty and Jay Luigi. The company began its journey in New York City over 25 years ago with James Lanza, who named Ciccio Restaurant Group after his father. Lanza was intrigued with the healthy mindset of the Tampa Bay area and targeted the market to expand his business.

The first two words of Vida & Estilo Restaurant Group translate to “life” and “style” in Spanish. The company includes concepts that blend gastronomy, mixology, and entertainment, such as Café Americano, PaperFish, Havana 1957, Marabu, and News Café. The company plans to expand its Cortadito Coffee House and Havana 1957 locations this year.

Chef Ford Fry opened his first restaurant in Atlanta in 2007, laying the foundation for what is now Rocket Farm Restaurants. The company now includes a portfolio of 14 brands in Atlanta, Houston, and Nashville. The company also includes a university with over 20 classes focused on topics like hospitality management, HR, finance, marketing, and diversity.

Alberto Lombardi, with more than 45 years of experience in the restaurant industry, has created dining experiences from neighborhood bistros to fine-dining establishments. The brands within Lombardi Family Concepts range from Bistro 31, Joi, and Kai to Lombardi Cucina Italiana, Taverna, and Toulouse.

There are eight restaurant concepts within the Big Time Restaurant Group portfolio, including City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Elisabetta’s Ristorante, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, Louie Bossi’s Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria, City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill, Big City Tavern, Grease Burger Bar, and Barrio Sangria Bar. The company was founded in 1993 by Todd Herbst, Bill Watson, and Lisabet Summa with a goal of appealing to a broad range of customers.

The foundation for Homegrown Hospitality Group was laid in 1985 when the first TBonz Steakhouse opened. It has since grown into nine concepts throughout South Carolina and Georgia, from Pearlz Oyster Bar to Kaminsky’s Dessert Café.

Harwood Hospitality Group has a growing collection of concepts in the Harwood District of Dallas. Brands range from Babou’s, Isabelle’s, and Fig & Flavor to Tequila Social, Mercat Bistro, and St. Ann Restaurant & Bar.

McGuire Moorman Hospitality was founded by Austin, Texas-based chefs Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman in 2009. It became MML Hospitality in 2021 when the group added Liz Lambert, a hotelier, as a partner. Concepts range from Swedish Hill Café in Aspen, Colo., to Lamberts Downtown Barbecue in Austin.

For more than 10 years, Vandelay Hospitality has offered a portfolio of brands that range from casual American cuisine to high-end dining. Brands in the group include Hudson House, Drake’s, D.L. Mack’s, Brentwood, Anchor Sushi Bar, Jack & Harry’s, Slider and Blues, Bar Sardine, and East Hampton.

In 1974, Randy Norton and Jim Farley opened a 16-table pizza place in Fairfax City, Virginia. Mike Ranney joined them a year later, and with the opening of Fantastic Fritzbe’s Flying Food Factory (now Silverado) in 1976, Great American Restaurants was born. There are now 11 brands throughout Virginia and Maryland in the company’s portfolio.

Centurion Restaurant Group was founded in 2013 by experienced restaurateurs and has since grown to four concepts throughout Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. President and founder Carlos Centurion draws inspiration from the time he spent living in Spain.

Groot Hospitality is a collective of restaurants, bars, cafes, nightlife ventures, and hotels formed in 2018 by entrepreneur David Grutman. The company is planning to open its first resort, Somewhere Else, on Atlantis Paradise Island in 2025. Multiple other projects are also in the pipeline in Florida and elsewhere, with plans to ultimately bring the company international.

Shula’s Steak House was founded in 1989 with a goal of matching the standards set by Don Shula, the only coach to lead his team to a perfect NFL season, which he did with the Miami Dolphins in 1972. Shula’s Restaurant Group has since grown to six concepts throughout Florida, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio, as well as various airports and stadiums. Brands include Prime, Don Shula’s American Kitchen, Shula’s Steak House, Shula’s Bar & Grill, 347 Grill, and Shula Burger.

Knead Hospitality + Design was founded by restaurateurs Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin in 2015 and has since grown into 10 concepts throughout the Washington, D.C., market. Knead’s restaurants feature cuisines spanning Mexican, Southern, French, American, and steak, as well as fast-casual bakeries, burgers, taco and pizza concepts.

Southern Proper Hospitality Group, founded by Mike Evertsen, Chris Hadermann, and John Piemonte, includes over a dozen restaurants across the Southeast ranging from a gastropub to Spanish tapas to a coastal seafood shack. The company’s Gypsy Kitchen, The Big Ketch, and Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails have become Atlanta staples.

Berg Hospitality Group goes for variety, from the recent opening of pan-Asian-inspired Soy Cowboy at the new Loews Hotel in Arlington, Texas, to the upcoming Buttermilk Baby plans with Roark Capital-owned Carvel.

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50 Eggs Hospitality Group started in 2001 when founder John Kunkel opened a sandwich shop in Miami Beach. The company has since grown into a global brand operating six restaurant concepts, including Yardbird, Wakuda, and Chica, with locations from Miami to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Singapore.

Graspa Group was established in 2002 by Graziano Sbroggio to streamline the operations of dining venues Spris and Segafredo. It has since grown to include Spuntino Bakery & Catering, Salumeria 104, Spris Artisan Pizza, Segafredo Bayside, Esotico Miami, Kaona Room, and Osteria. The group also operates an events business through its restaurants.

Steve Simon and his partners opened South City Kitchen in 1993 in Atlanta. A year in, they tried to emulate a Starbucks-like experience and opened three coffee shops in the market. Three years later, they pulled out of their coffee experiment. So they sharpened their focus on full-service restaurants and formed Fifth Group Restaurants. South City remains the flagship — and most successful — restaurant in the portfolio that now also includes La Tavola, Ela, Lure, Ecco, Alma Cocina, and Bold Catering & Design. The cuisines vary from contemporary Mexican at Alma Cocina to modern European at Ecco.

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The farm-to-table Emmer & Rye restaurant has grown into a bigger Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group that is now an Austin-San Antonio powerhouse. Concepts include Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Canje, Ladino, Ezov, Kalimotxo, Henbit, Pullman Market, Fife and Farro, Mexquite, Isidore, and Nicosi.

Hai Hospitality began with Uchi, Japanese for “home’” and named for the little red house where chef Tyson Cole first created his nontraditional take on Japanese cuisine in 2003. Hai Hospitality concepts now include Uchi, Uchiko, Uchiba, the omakase tasting room Oheya, and Loro Asian Smokehouse and Bar. 

Ariete Hospitality Group was founded in 2020 by executive chef Michael Beltrán, who has been a semifinalist twice for the James Beard Award for Best Chef. The company includes its flagship Ariete, which has been featured in the 2022 and 2023 Michelin Guide. It also includes Chug’s Diner, Eva, The Oyster Bar, The Taurus, The Scape Goat, P.I.G. Inc., The Gibson Room, The Allocation Room, El Vecino, and Laurel Brasserie.

James Beard finalist Ashok Bajaj has owned and operated restaurants in London and the United States for over 30 years. In 1988, he founded Knightsbridge Restaurant Group and has since opened several signature restaurants in Washington, D.C., including The Bombay Club and Rasika.

Schlow Restaurant Group was founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow. The company now includes five concepts, Alta Strada, Nama Sushi Bar, Seamark Seafood and Cocktails, Michael Schlow’s at the Time Out Market in Boston, and Sauce Burgers.

A. Marshall Hospitality is a Franklin, Tenn.-based company with 11 family-owned-and-operated restaurants and hospitality businesses in Tennessee and Alabama. Founded in 1998 by Andy Marshall, the company now includes Puckett's Restaurant, Deacon's New South, and Scout's Pub, in addition to Puckett's Trolley and Puckett's Catering and Events.

Founded by Keith and Heather Paul, A Good Egg Dining Group offers a wide variety of culinary styles. Restaurants include Cheever’s Café, Iron Star, Red Primesteak, Republic Gastropub, Tucker’s Onion Burgers, Kitchen No. 324, The Drake Seafood and Oysterette, Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes, and the taco-focused Mexican Radio.

Empty Stomach was created by Chad Carey in 2012 to bring new bars, restaurants, and nightlife concepts to San Antonio, Texas. Brands include Barbaro, Hot Joy, coffee and café Extra Fine, Paper Tiger, Rumble, Midnight Swim, Little Death, Double Standard, Vibras, and Plus de Vin.

Chef Ryan Pera and beverage director Morgan Weber teamed with culinary director Vincent Huynh to create Agricole Hospitality. Brands include Coltivare, Eight Row Flint, EZ's Liquor Lounge, HiWay Cantina, Lightnin's Good Times, and Vinny's.