Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

Before we can talk about the barbecue at Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que and Hof’s Hut, we need to go back to a much simpler time in the 1930s where Dirk and Sjoukje (a Dutch immigrant) Hofman…

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Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt

Our first (and only?) love story… Most of us have had a bad first date. I remember a couple where I knew the chance of a relationship was over before knowing what I was going…

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Schlotzsky’s

Schlotzsky’s

Schlotzsky’s was started by Don and Dolores Dissman in 1971. They should be credited with doing one thing very well. Not many restaurants could pull off a menu with one sandwich but they found a…

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Au Bon Pain

Au Bon Pain

Part one of a three part trilogy. Au Bon Pain (we’ll tackle the pronunciation later) began in France, now resides in Germany with one American businessman in the center.  The story begins in 1976 when…

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Freebirds World Burrito

Freebirds World Burrito

“Born in California. Raised in Texas” is their slogan. Mark Orfalea originally designed the restaurant around the roasted chicken concept similar to El Pollo Loco and wanted to deliver food to the UC Santa Barbara students.…

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Hooters

Hooters

Regardless of your thoughts on the chain, their story is at least unique. It almost begins as a joke or skit on Saturday Night Live. What happens when you have six businessmen in Florida who…

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Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel

Dan Evins could have probably remained prosperous in his family oil business, but he wanted to serve a different market. Dan turned to the restaurant industry and identified something missing.  He saw the new interstate system…

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Biggby Coffee

Biggby Coffee

The story of Biggby coffee is one of two separate friendships. If you read the company history page, they begin with the second relationship, but there’s a prequel. If you want to know how it…

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Fleming’s Steakhouse

Fleming’s Steakhouse

Paul Fleming has undoubtedly come a long way since growing up in Iberia, Louisana.  He attended Loyola University and his first professional experience in the dining industry began as a dishwasher at a local New…

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Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company

The story of Noodles & Company starts in the trendy Greenwich Village in New York City when a 33-year-old brand manager for Pepsi stopped in Mamie’s Asian Noodle Shop for a bite to eat. Arron Kennedy was…

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