Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, founded by Mitchell in Columbus, Ohio, in 1993, has grown to dominate Ohio’s capital, with 25 restaurants in and around that city, plus another 25 restaurants across the country. Its flagship brand and growth vehicle is fine-dining steak-and-seafood concept Ocean Prime.

Thunderdome Restaurant Group was founded in Cincinnati in 2012 by brothers Joe and John Lanni and Alex Blust and has grown to nine concepts with 43 locations across the country. Those include several one-offs in their hometown, as well as a 23-unit grain bowl, salad, and smoothie concept called Currito, nine-unit chicken tender restaurant Citybird, eight-unit The Eagle servingg fried chicken and Southern sides, and eight-unit Mexican concept Bakersfield.

Cunningham Restaurant Group operates a total of 44 restaurants under 18 different brands in Ohio, Kentucky, and its home state of Indiana. Read more here.

Based in Omaha, Neb., Flagship Restaurant Group was founded in 2002 by Nebraska natives Nick Hogan and Tom Allisma and Texans Anthony Hitchcock and Tony Gentile, and launched with the opening of Blue Sushi Sake Grill. It took on its current name in 2008 after the opening of Roja Mexican Grill and a second Blue Sushi. Since then it has expanded to six additional states and operates 13 concepts.

Joe Vicari Restaurants has been operating restaurants in the Detroit area for more than 40 years and now oversees six-unit Italian concept Andiamo, a more casual Andiamo Bistro, six-unit fast-casual Mediterranean concept 29°41°, two-unit Vito’s Italian Bakery, The Statler, Birmingham Pub, The Bronze Door, and The Country Inn, as well as Joe Muer Seafood with three locations and Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas.

The Chicago-based restaurant group Hogsalt, founded by Brendon Sodikoff, is known for Au Cheval, an upscale diner with a full bar and an award-winning burger with locations in Chicago and New York, as well as four-unit fast-casual Small Cheval. But the group also operates a wide variety of other venues in the Windy City — including Armitage Alehouse, Gilt Bar, and Aster Hall food hall — plus 4 Charles Prime Rib, a supper club in New York City. There’s also Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar with location in Chicago and Las Vegas, Sawada Coffee in Chicago and New York, and La Renommée, which the company opened in Paris at the end of 2023.

Monven Group started as the operator of casual-dining Burntwood Tavern in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and has since expanded to some 25 locations in Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida, of which 15 are Burntwood Taverns, six are Leo’s Italian Social, and the rest are one-offs in the greater Cleveland area. It also operates a hotel, ancillary valet parking services, a boutique store, and an event center, as well as real estate operations.

Chicago-based Boka Restaurant Group was founded in 2002 by co-CEOs Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm and has gone on to oversee the operations of five big-name chefs — Stephanie Izard, Gene Kato, Chris Pandel, Giuseppe Tentori, and Lee Wolen — all of whom maintain their own operations. It also has partnered with a sixth chef, Michael Solomonov, on three restaurants in Brooklyn, N.Y. Boka now has 22 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Craft Concepts Restaurant Group: This group based in Iowa City, Iowa, operates 20 restaurants and breweries in the eastern and central part of the state. They include four-unit Big Grove Brewery, Mediterranean-inspired Vesta, a bakery-cafe-deli concept called Barrett’s, and Blackstone, serving updated American comfort-food. It’s currently looking to expand outside its home state.

Scott Harris Hospitality started with Mia Francesca, an Italian restaurant in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood, and has since expanded to six concepts, including one-offs Vasili’s, Mia Moda, Disotto, and Vinny’s Clam Bar; 12-unit Francesca’s; and Davanti Enoteca, which has three locations in the Chicago area and one in San Diego.

Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises veterans Scott Weiner and Greg Mohr founded The Fifty/50 Group in Chicago in 2008, starting with Fifty/50 in Wicker Park. They now have 14 concepts, including pizzerias, cocktail bars, and rooftop venues. They also operate the renowned comedy club Second City and Kindling, chef Jonathon Sawyer’s live-fire restaurant.

Ala Carte Entertainment, based in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Ill., was founded in 1970 by Fred Hoffman, who started with a music venue in Chicago called Snuggery. Hoffman has since been joined by his sons, Mark and Dean Hoffman, and they now operate seven additional concepts, including Moretti’s, offering “pizza & so much more” in 12 Chicago locations.

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group was founded in 1981 and now owns and operates 21 distinct eateries in 14 cities and five states. Its concepts include The Chop House, La Dolce Vita, Real Seafood Co., Carson’s American Bistro, Palio, Gratzi, Stillwater Grill, Ciao!, Zia’s, and Blue Pointe Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill.

Food Fight Restaurant Group is a Wisconsin-based hospitality group that is celebrating its 30^th birthday this year. Founded by restauranteur Monty Schiro, this group is known for its portfolio variety, with 20 concepts ranging from casual taco concepts and pizzerias to steakhouses and modern fine-dining Italian cuisine.

Based in St. Paul, Minn., family-owned Morrissey Hospitality is celebrating 30 years of operating hotels, restaurants, and event spaces, starting in 1995 with The Saint Paul Hotel. It operates a number of venues, such as Momento, Tria, and The St Paul Grill restaurants, Bunker Hill Events Center, and The St. Paul Hotel, and provides consulting for others, such as New Bohemia Wurst & Bier House, Pinewood Weddings & Events, Nature Link Resort, The Freight House, and Seventh Street Truck Park.

Brad Parker founded Chicago’s Parker Hospitality in 2015 and it now operates 14 restaurants, 11 of which are Hampton Social locations offering coastal-inspired cuisine in Illinois, Florida, and Tennessee. There’s also Nisos Prime, a Mediterranean restaurant and steakhouse in Chicago; Bassment, a music venue and cocktail bar below a Hampton Social in Chicago; and Costera Cocina Tulum, offering modern Mexican food in a festive setting in Chicago’s Fulton Market.

Niche Food Group is St. Louis chef Gerard Craft’s business, operating 14 restaurants and bars, including three in the City Foundry Food Hall. There are also three Pastaria concepts, including one in Nashville; Brasserie by Niche; a cocktail bar called Taste by Niche;  BrassWell inside Rockwell Beer Co.; a breakfast-and-lunch spot called Bowood by Niche; a South American restaurant called Cinder House; Sardella, which offers a rotating seasonal menu; Brass Bar; and Brass Burger.

W. VinZant Restaurants: This Kansas City, Mo., restaurant group started in 2009 with Louie’s Wine Dive, a converted bagel shop and seamstress studio. The company has a catering division, called Romaine Calm. It has added Bo Lings, BRGR Kitchen + Bar, Taco Republic, Fresko Natural Food and Latin King in Des Moines, Iowa, Gram & Dun, Va Bene italian eatery, BrewTop Pub & Patio, and Chicken Mary’s.

Bonhomme Hospitality is a Chicago hospitality development and management company that operates mostly Mediterranean-influenced restaurants throughout the city, including Bambola, Coquette, GoodFunk, Porto, two Beatnik locations, Mama Delia, a speakeasy-style bar called Bordel over Mama Delia, and a rooftop bar called Botanica above that. There are also two other bars, Kashmir and Expat.

Sahm’s Hospitality Group was founded by Ed Sahm in Indiana in 1986 and has since grown to encompass 12 restaurants across that state, including two Big Lug breweries, Rockstone Pizzeria, Half Liter BBQ, and more. The group also offers catering services and ships its “locally famous” coffee cake.

Dating back to 1989 with the opening of Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse — now a Chicago institution — Gibsons Restaurant Group today operates 10 restaurants in Chicago, including the original steakhouse, plus Gibsons Italia, Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, Hugo’s Frog bar & Chop House, Quartino, Lux Bar, Ralph Lauren Chicago, and three José Andrés restaurants: Bazaar Meat, Bar Mar, and Café by the River. It also operates The Boathouse at Disney Springs in Orlando, Fla.

Rise Brands out of Columbus, Ohio operates three concepts. Pins Mechanical Co. and 16-bit Bar & Arcade are both gaming venues, one with more of a focus on video games and the other on bowling, foosball, ping pong, etc., but many of them are co-located. They operate in multiple Ohio communities as well as Nashville, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and Indianapolis, with plans to open in Austin, Kansas City, and elsewhere in 2025. Rise also runs two members-only speakeasy-style bourbon bars and restaurants called No Soliciting.

Wolfpack Restaurant Group: The Wolf family founded this group, centered around Wolfie’s Northern Woods Grill, in 2004, which has since expanded to five locations, all in and around Indianapolis. They are “designed for the seeker in all things sports, nature, and food,” according to the group’s web site, offering American casual-dining fare. They also operate three-unit speakeasy-style cocktail bar Broken Barrel, Italian House, a chef-driven 21-and-over restaurant called Nyla’s, and a loosely Australian concept (with pizza) called Boomerangs.

The Chicago-based project development studio and hospitality company Land and Sea Dept is run by its four principals: Cody Hudson, Jon Martin, Robert McAdams and Peter Toalson. They have dozens of projects in the works including art exhibitions, film screenings, structural design, etc., and they also run 10 restaurants and bars in Chicago, plus one in Nashville.

Restaurateur Donnie Madia and chef Paul Kahan have been running One Off Hospitality, a group of beloved Chicago restaurants, for more than 20 years. Their venues include Avec and Bar Avec, Big Star, Dove’s Luncheonette, The Publican, Publican Quality Bread, Publican Quality Meats, and The Violet Hour.

Alex Dana founded the original Rosebud restaurant in Chicago in 1976, offering classic Italian-American food and steaks. Today, Rosebud Restaurants has six Rosebud locations, plus a single-unit Rosetta Italian. The company also operates two Carmine’s locations in Chicagoland and Mia Rosebud in Boca Raton, Fla.

Nick Sanders founded Cincinnati-based Tavern Restaurant Group in 1981 with deSha’s, an American tavern in Maysville, Ky. That was followed by a second deSha’s in Cincinnati in 1990. A trip to the United Kingdom inspired Sanders to develop British-style concepts, including Nicholson’s in 1997 and The Pub Rookwood in 2001.

The Bartolotta Restaurants, based in Milwaukee-based, is headed by restaurateur Joe Bartolotta and his brother, award-winning chef Paul Bartolotta. They started in 1993 and have since expanded to 17 restaurants and catering facilities, including a food hall and pizzeria as well as fine-dining and fast-casual concepts.

Heisler Hospitality is headed by Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner, who run nine restaurants and drinking establishments, all in Chicago: Sportsman’s Club, Lone Wolf, Night & Weekends, Queen Mary, and Revel Room, plus two locations each of Lobo and Estero.

Lowlands Group out of Milwaukee operates four concepts inspired by the low-lying European countries of Belgium and The Netherlands. There are five Café Hollander locations, and one each of Centraal Grand Café & Tappery (inspired by Amsterdam’s Centraal train station), Café Benelux with a rooftop patio, and Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club inspired by the family-run supper clubs of Wisconsin’s Northwoods.