Stuart Anderson, the founder of the Black Angus Steakhouse chain, reportedly died on Monday after a battle with lung cancer, according to The New York Times. He was 93.
In a statement, Black Angus officials said they were saddened by the news of Anderson’s passing, saying that he remained a close friend of the concept after he sold the chain and dined there often.
“Stuart was a pioneer in the steakhouse segment of the restaurant business and will be remembered for his contributions, including making a full steak menu with all the trimmings and full-service cocktail lounge accessible to the general population,” Black Angus officials said. “We will remember Stuart as the founder of our company and for his great instincts on what guests value in a steakhouse.”
Born in Tacoma, Wash., Anderson served as a tank driver during World War II. He returned to Seattle and later founded the casual-dining chain in 1964, initially offering steak, soup or salad and a baked potato for $2.99.
The chain grew to more than 100 units in its heyday. Anderson sold the chain in 1972, though he stayed involved, retiring in the mid 1980s.
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Based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Black Angus is now owned by Versa Capital Management Inc. and has been growing sales with 46 units generating about $155 million in fiscal 2015, up nearly 5 percent from the prior year.
More recently, Anderson opened Stuart’s Steakhouse in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in a defunct Black Angus location, though it closed in 2012. According to the Press Democrat, Anderson took the restaurant over to save the jobs of employees working there, even though he was almost 90 at the time.
Anderson was also an author. He told the story of his career in the 1997 book “Here’s the Beef: My Story of Beef,” as well as the 2014 book “Corporate Cowboy: How Maverick Entrepreneur Stuart Anderson built Black Angus, the Number 1 Restaurant Chain of the 1980s.”
In addition to his wife Helen, survivors include daughters Christopher Carol Gee and Quincy Anderson; a stepson, Michael Ranta; two grandsons; a great-grandson; and a step-grandson.
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