STARR Restaurant Group, named after its founder Stephen Starr, is the largest culinary group in Philadelphia. Starr opened his first restaurant at age 21, and since then has filled his portfolio with 39 steakhouses, barbecue spots, supper clubs, and more.

Patina Restaurant Group is a New York City-based group that provides culinary complements to cultural institutions and museums, from The Grand Tier Restaurant inside the Metropolitan Opera to Stella 34 Trattoria inside the iconic Macy’s at Herald Square.

Major Food Group was founded in 2011 by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick, and is best known for a portfolio of elevated Italian cuisine — including the most famous chicken parmesan in New York City — as well as stylish French, Japanese, and American concepts.

The Common Man departs from the fine-dining-centric groups on this list with a portfolio of relaxed, comfort food-oriented restaurants all located in New Hampshire. From diners to breakfast cafes, this no-frills restaurant group takes homestyle food seriously.  

Upstream Hospitality is one of the largest restaurant groups on Long Island, which is fast becoming a culinary hotspot in the Northeast. Many of Upstream’s 18 restaurants are appropriately coastal-themed, from the beachside Surf Shack in Massapequa to Overlook Beach Club in Babylon.

NoHo Hospitality Group, cofounded by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini (a Food & Wine “Best New Chefs” alum), boasts an eclectic mix of some of the most famous restaurants in New York, from pasta spots like Bar Primi to tavernas like Locanda Verde. 

Union Square Hospitality Group is perhaps the most famous restaurant group in New York. Founded by Danny Meyer in 1985 with the group’s flagship spot, Union Square Café, USHG has since grown to 15 restaurants, with a mix of neighborhood spots (Daily Provisions) and fine-dining institutions (Gramercy Tavern).

Big Night Entertainment is a Boston-based group with a widely varied portfolio of nightlife venues, fitness studios, and eateries. Most of the restaurants are highly themed — Vegas-style — from Guy Fieri’s Boston restaurant to arcade bars and a moody, red-tinted sushi lounge at Foxwoods Casino.

Gretalia Hospitality — a portmanteau of “Greek” and “Italia” — was founded in 2011 in Pennington, N.J., and offers a selection of mainly (of course) Greek and Italian restaurants with 14 eateries throughout New Jersey.

Harvest Restaurant Group was founded by the Grabowski family in 1996 and is still family-owned to this day. The portfolio of 13 restaurants throughout Northern and Central New Jersey includes taverns, steakhouses, a brewery, and a catering division.

Dinex Group is the dominant restaurant group founded by decorated chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud, which was founded in 1993 with Boulud’s flagship French restaurant, Daniel, and has since grown to 14 mostly fine-dining venues, with more internationally.

The Briar Group is the longest-standing independent restaurant group in Boston, and has been bringing its collection of Irish pubs, fine-dining restaurants, and nightlife spots to Boston since 1989. 

Fearless Restaurants is a Haverford, Penn.-based restaurant group owned by father-daughter duo, Marty and Sydney Grims. With nine unique concepts and 14 locations, Fearless is known for opening the first farm-to-table restaurant in Philadelphia, operating a French-American bistro, and more.

Alicart Restaurant Group is well-known for its flagship restaurant Carmine’s, which has been a family-style Italian restaurant and tourist attraction in New York City since 1990 and has since grown to five additional locations. Alicart also owns Virgil’s Real Barbecue and Artie’s Delicatessen.

Garces Group was founded by Iron Chef and restaurateur Jose Garces in Philadelphia, and is anchored by its flagship restaurant, Amada, which displays chef Garces’ modern spin on Spanish tapas. Garces Group has 11 restaurants, mostly throughout the Northeast.

Overthrow Hospitality is a mission-driven vegan restaurant group (one of the largest in the country) that was transformed from DeRossi Global into the sustainability and inclusivity-centric group it has become today, with a focus on driving out sexism and cruelty from the restaurant industry.

Coje Management is a Boston-based boutique hospitality group with seven unique concepts ranging from a Peruvian-Asian fusion restaurant to an elevated Mexican tequila bar and restaurant with two locations.

Glynn Hospitality Group is a family-run hospitality group that has been serving Boston for 40 years and is famous for its portfolio of Boston-style pubs and bars located across the Boston area, from the Back Bay to Faneuil Hall.

The Vintage Syndicate brings a unique restaurant ownership model to Philadelphia. Read more about it here.

Columbus Hospitality Group is a Boston-based restaurant group that has been running six fine-dining restaurants for 25 years, including multiple locations of the group’s signature Mooo… steakhouses, as well as multiple boutique hotels.

Defined Hospitality is a collection of six eclectic food and beverage concepts based in Philadelphia that all pride themselves on unique design aesthetics, from the quirky Pizzeria Beddia to the colorfully decorated Kalaya Thai Kitchen.

High Street Hospitality Group is a community-centric restaurant group of six concepts — including a bakery, hoagie spot, and French cocktail bar — that advertises its policy of livable wages for its team.

Crafted Hospitality is owned and operated by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio and centered around its flagship fine-dining restaurant, Craft, which opened in 2001. Since then, the group has evolved, grown and shrunk, with a steakhouse, a Long Island American eatery, and more.