Restaurants

Beacon Drive-In Corporate Office

The Beacon Drive-In was founded in Spartanburg, South Carolina, by John White. He wanted a restaurant that offered home cooked flavors, but with the convenience of drive-in service. Today, Beacon Drive-In is known as the restaurant that serves more Southern style sweet tea than any other restaurant in America.

In addition to the large red and white striped light house sign, the company is best known for its unique food, including a chili cheese hamburger that includes onion rings, French fries, and smothered in chili, The Pigs Dinner, and BBQ hash. The company still offers car side service, but no longer features waitresses on roller skates.

Spartanburg renamed the street that Beacon Drive-in is located on to honor the founder, John B. White, Sr. The restaurant was purchased by a group of 6 businessmen, including current CEO Steve Duncan, in 1998 from Mr. White when he retired.

Beacon Drive-In

History

Sticky Fingers Ribhouse Corporate Office

Sticky Fingers Ribhouse, sometimes called Sticky Fingers Smokehouse, was founded in 1992 by three high school friends. The first location was in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. The company is a chain of BBQ restaurants serving Memphis, Tennessee, style BBQ meats.

The company moved headquarters in September of 2010. Sticky Fingers LLC is a new entity, formed to acquire 16 locations. Today, the company has locations in 5 Southern states. Ken’s Foods owns the rights to the marketing name. In addition to the restaurants, the company sells T-shirts, cups, mugs, and baseball hats with the company logo. The BBQ sauce itself is also sold in the restaurants and in retail locations, such as supermarkets.

Sticky Fingers specializes in Memphis style BBQ ribs, with 6 different flavors and smoking techniques. Smoking is done at each location and is not merely a flavoring additive.

Sticky Fingers Ribhouse

Sticky Fingers specializes in Memphis style BBQ ribs, with 6 different flavors and smoking techniques. Smoking is done at each location and is not merely a flavoring additive.

History

Norm’s Restaurant Corporate Office

Norm’s Restaurant was founded in 1949 by used car salesman Norm Roybark. The original location was in downtown Hollywood, near the corner of Sunset and Vine. The oldest location, on La Cienega Blvd., still stands today and was made a Cultural Landmark by the city in 2015. Norm’s Restaurant operates a chain of casual dining locations, offering typical American cuisine.

Norm’s Restaurants has 18 locations, all in Southern California. Most locations were designed by Armet and Davis. The showroom type of architecture has come to be called “Googie” and is quite popular. .

The company was sold in January 2015 to current CEO and longtime restaurateur Jim Balis. Balis has stated that he does not necessarily have plans for renovation but for the expansion of the company.

In March 2023, the company hired a new CEO, Eric Wyatt, who also has plans for expansion.

Norm’s Restaurant maintains a corporate office in Bellflower, California.

Norm's Restaurant

History

The company was sold in January 2015 to current CEO and longtime restaurateur Jim Balis. Balis has stated that he does not necessarily have plans for renovation but for the expansion of the company.

In March 2023, the company hired a new CEO, Eric Wyatt, who also has plans for expansion.

Norm’s Restaurant maintains a corporate office in Bellflower, California.

Beef O’Brady’s Corporate Office

Beef O’Brady’s was founded by Jim Mellody in Brandon, Florida, in 1985. Mellody wanted to create a restaurant with an Irish pub feel, but one that was geared towards family. After several tries, Mellody created the no-liquor, Beef O’Brady’s.

In 1998, Melody sold the majority of the business to Family Sports Concepts, Inc. After Mellody passed away in 2002, his daughter sold all remaining locations, with the exception of the original restaurant.

Today, the company has 150 locations, most of them franchised, in the Southern states and Florida. Beef O’Brady’s is headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Several locations were recently shut down due to insect infestation, but the company is assuring its customers that they are confident that exterminators have taken care of the problem.

In August 2020, the parent company of Beef O’Brady’s decided to jump on the chicken bandwagon with The Hatchery. Constuction on new locations will occur in mid to late 2021.

Beef O'Brady's

History

In August 2020, the parent company of Beef O’Brady’s decided to jump on the chicken bandwagon with The Hatchery. Constuction on new locations will occur in mid to late 2021.

Dixie Cafe Corporate Office

Dixie Cafe was founded in 1980 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company owns two different restaurants, the Dixie Cafe, sometimes called Dixie’s Restaurant, and the Delta Cafe. The company wanted to open a restaurant that was more like a relative’s kitchen than a business. All food is made fresh daily, by hand, including yeast rolls, fresh vegetables, cut and cooked to order, and genuine Southern cooking.

The company operates 15 Dixie locations in three states and 3 Delta Cafe’s all located in Okalahoma. This casual dining chain focuses on traditional food of the South, including fried catfish, red beans and rice, as well as cornbread. Dixie and Delta Cafes are considered family friendly, with reasonable pricing. Each location offers an old fashioned soda fountain that offers milkshakes, ice cream, and a wide variety of ice cream dishes.

Most locations offer food to go and will allow telephone orders for pick up. The company prides itself on treating customers like family, even though they are a chain restaurant business.

In early December of 2017, Dixie Cafe announced that all locations would be closing by the middle of December and the company would be filing for bankruptcy.

The Dixie Cafe

Most locations offer food to go and will allow telephone orders for pick up. The company prides itself on treating customers like family, even though they are a chain restaurant business.

History

In early December of 2017, Dixie Cafe announced that all locations would be closing by the middle of December and the company would be filing for bankruptcy.