Restaurants

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Corporate Office

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen was founded in 1979 in Arlington, Texas, by Aubrey Good and current CEO Doug Rogers. Good and Rogers wanted to start a restaurant that used fresh ingredients and cooked menu items from scratch, similar to homemade food. The company is known for having twice as many chefs as other restaurants as cooking from scratch takes more time.

Today, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has more than 160 locations in 23 states, with 60 of these locations being franchised operations. The company is owned by Oak Investment Partners and Catterton Partners. In April of 2017, the company became a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc. The Cheddar’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, was dismantled and some workers took positions at Darden headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has won several food awards, including Zagat’s 2012 #1 Full Service Restaurant Chain and Top Rated Food Award. The company also was rated #1 in Consumer Reports under the Best Pub or Grilled Food category in 2009.

In January 2023, the CEO of Darden’s stated that Cheddar’s was about to become the company’s second-largest and most popular restaurant chain.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen maintains a corporate office in Orlando, Florida.

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

History

In January 2023, the CEO of Darden’s stated that Cheddar’s was about to become the company’s second-largest and most popular restaurant chain.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen maintains a corporate office in Orlando, Florida.

El Taco Tote Corporate Office

El Taco Tote was founded in 1988 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, by current CEO Jose Pacificio Heras. The company opened their first location in America in 1994 in El Paso, Texas. Franchising began in 2003.

Today, the company has more than 24 locations in the Western states of the US and 8 locations in Mexico. El Taco Tote is different from other taco restaurants in that customers build their own tacos, rather than order preselected items.

El Taco Tote offers a wide variety of authentic Mexican cuisine in a casual dining experience. In addition to tacos, the company offers taco plates and a wide variety of meats including fish, pork, chicken , lamb, and shrimp. Catering is also available, with many locations also offering delivery.

The company often does fundraisers to help local students pay for college tuition.

El Taco Tote

History

The company often does fundraisers to help local students pay for college tuition.

Sonny’s BBQ Corporate Office

Sonny’s BBQ was founded in 1968 in Gainesville, Florida, by Floyd “Sonny” Tillman and his wife Lucille. The original name was Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q. The name was changed in 2013. The company began franchising in 1977. One franchisor, Robert Yarmouth, and his cousin Jeff, purchased the company in 1991. Robert Yarmouth remains CEO of the company.

Today, the company has 113 locations in 9 states. The company is best known for its unique BBQ recipe, ribs, chicken, and pork. In addition to food, the company also offers coffee mugs, bottled BBQ sauce, T-shirts, and caps with the company logo.

In 2015, the company sold off 9 out of its 10 company-owned locations in Florida, in hopes of better managing their other locations.

Sonny’s BBQ offers a “Random Act of BBQ” each August in honor of Tillman’s birthday. The company provides free BBQ meals with help from community volunteers or community groups. In addition to gift cards, the company also offers catering services.

In February 2020, the company added a Chief Kindness Officer position, designed to promote random acts of kindness.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Sonny’s closed dine-in seating and encouraged delivery and take out orders.

Company headquarters are located in Maitland, Florida.

Sonny's BBQ

History

In 2015, the company sold off 9 out of its 10 company-owned locations in Florida, in hopes of better managing their other locations.

In February 2020, the company added a Chief Kindness Officer position, designed to promote random acts of kindness.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Sonny’s closed dine-in seating and encouraged delivery and take out orders.

Company headquarters are located in Maitland, Florida.

Big Wangs Sports Bar Corporate Office

Big Wangs Sports Bar was founded in 2007 in Hollywood, California, by Joe Barker and Peter Brill. The company runs a chain of sports bar/restaurant locations in Southern California. The company has 4 locations, with the most recent one opening in late 2015 in the downtown area of Los Angeles, on 8th and Grand Ave.

The company offers chicken wings with a variety of sauces, fried potatoes in numerous different styles, pizza, appetizers, sandwiches, chicken dishes, burgers, soups, and salads, as well as a variety of desserts. Happy Hour at all locations is from 3 to 7PM, and the beer selection is quite large, but varies on location.

Big Wangs Sports Bar claims to have more HD televisions than any other sports bar in Southern California.

Big Wangs Sports Bar

Big Wangs Sports Bar claims to have more HD televisions than any other sports bar in Southern California.

History

Chevys Fresh Mex Corporate Office

Chevys Fresh Mex was founded in Alameda, California, by Warren Simmons in 1981. The company quickly expanded to 37 restaurants in the following decade and was purchased by PepsiCo in 1993.

The company purchased the Rio Bravo Cantina chain of Tex-Mex restaurants from Applebee’s in 1999, however, the chain did not do as well as expected. Chevys Fresh Mex filed for bankruptcy in 2003. In early 2005, the company was purchased by Real Mex Restaurants, Inc.

Today, the company has approximately 25 locations, most of them franchised. Chevys Fresh Mex sells a variety of Mexican-style food dishes in a casual dining atmosphere. The company receives about 70 percent of sales from its dinner menu.

In addition to restaurants, the company offers a line of prepackaged, multi-serve entrees for retailers, under the Real Mex label.

At least 14 underperforming Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants, mostly in northern California, were closed on December 26, 2016. Among these were the Redding, Chico, South Lake Tahoe, Modesto, and Fresno locations in California.

Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants maintains a corporate office in Cypress, California.

Chevys Fresh Mex

Chevys Fresh Mex was founded in Alameda, California, by Warren Simmons in 1981. The company quickly expanded to 37 restaurants in the following decade and was purchased by PepsiCo in 1993.

History

In addition to restaurants, the company offers a line of prepackaged, multi-serve entrees for retailers, under the Real Mex label.

Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants maintains a corporate office in Cypress, California.