2013 CHAIN RESTAURANT OPERATORS® a3 Happy 80th Birthday, Chain Store Guide! The.year.was.1933,.the.heart.of.the.Great.Depression..Unemployment.was. 25%,.banks.were.failing,.and.strong.winds.across.the.Midwest.stripped.the.top.soil. from.drought-stricken.farms.to.begin.several.years.of.the.infamous.Dust.Bowls..If. you.were.lucky.enough.to.have.a.job,.average.wages.were.$1,550.per.year..Across. the.Atlantic,.Adolph.Hitler.became.Chancellor.of.Germany.and.opened.the.first. concentration.camp,.setting.the.stage.for.what.would.become.World.War.2.a.few. years.later..Franklin.D..Roosevelt.became.the.32nd.President.of.the.United.States. and.immediately.set.to.work.addressing.the.many.issues.the.country.was.facing. through.his.New.Deal.initiatives..Perhaps.the.only.bright.spot.for.some.people.was. the.repeal.of.the.18th.Amendment,.effectively.ending.national.prohibition.. That.same.year.a.visionary.young.businessman.named.Irving.Slobod.founded. what.would.become.Chain Store Guide.when.he.saw.the.realization.of.his.dream. of.creating.truly.effective.business.directories.that.would.focus.on.distinct.individual. markets..His.directories.would.include.companies.across.the.nation.and.would. provide.such.vital.information.as.the.full.address,.the.number.of.stores.operated,. and.the.name.of.at.least.one.senior.executive.at.each.company..The.list.would. be.broken.out.by.state.then.by.city.within.each.state..He.published.the.first.such. directory.in.1933,.titled.The List of Restaurant Chains..It.contained.information. that.Irving.had.personally.verified.and.included.listings.for.no.more.than.a.few. hundred.companies.. The.direct.descendant.of.Irving’s.brainchild.is.now.the.Database of Chain Restaurant Operators,.a.compilation.of.more.than.7,000.restaurant-operating. companies.in.the.U.S..and.Canada.that.is.updated.continuously.by.Chain Store Guide..As.Irving.Slobod.recognized,.nothing.replaces.primary.research.to.ensure. accuracy.and.currency.of.data,.and.CSG.has.maintained.this.level.of.scrutiny.for. the.past.80.years.. The Threadbare Thirties The.economy.has.certainly.come.a.long.way.over.the.past.80.years,.and.so. have.consumer.tastes.and.habits..In.the.1930s,.choices.for.dining.out.were.pretty. limited:.automats,.cafeterias,.coffee.shops,.and.full-service.fine.dining.restaurants.. With.high.unemployment.and.low.wages,.eating.out.wasn’t.an.option.that.many. folks.exercised..For.those.who.did.venture.out,.they.might.have.found.(depending. on.where.they.lived).an.A&W.Restaurant,.Big.Boy,.Bridgeman’s,.K&W.Cafeteria,. Krystal,.Pat.O’Brien’s,.Peter.Luger,.S.&.S.Cafeteria,.Trader.Vic’s,.or.White.Castle. CHAIN STORE GUIDE | 1-800-927-9292 | Outside U.S.A. 813-627-6800 | http://www.chainstoreguide.com a4 Chain Store Guide® 2013 CHAIN RESTAURANT OPERATORS® The Fighting Forties and Fabulous Fifties The.war.years.of.the.early.1940s.were.harsh.and.new.restaurant.businesses. were.slow.to.open.–.the.CSG.database.includes.only.33.new.businesses.founded. in.those.years..Between.1946.and.1949,.that.number.nearly.doubled..Among.the. notable.names.that.were.developed.during.those.years.were.Baskin-Robbins,. Carl’s.Jr.,.Dairy.Queen,.In-N-Out.Burger,.and.Shoney’s..The.post-war.boom.in. the.1950s.saw.an.increase.in.the.availability.of.different.types.of.restaurants..Bob. Evans,.Burger.King,.Denny’s,.IHOP,.KFC,.McDonald’s,.Pizza.Hut,.and.Taco.Bell.are. just.a.few.of.the.hundreds.of.restaurant.companies.that.debuted.in.that.decade. The Swinging Sixties The.ten.years.following.the.peaceful.and.prosperous.1950s.was.highlighted.by. massive.social.upheaval..The.civil.rights.movement.reached.its.peak,.the.Vietnam. war.was.heating.up.and.becoming.increasingly.unpopular,.especially.among.young. people,.and.the.assassinations.of.Martin.Luther.King.and.two.of.the.Kennedy. brothers.were.sober.reminders.that.the.world.was.changing..Many.of.the.so-called. baby.boomers.were.in.college.and.no.longer.content.with.the.status.quo,.not.at.all. hesitant.to.protest.and.express.their.dissatisfaction.. Amid.the.turbulence,.Pete’s.Super.Submarines.was.opened.by.a.teen-ager. named.Fred.DeLuca.in.1965.as.an.effort.to.earn.enough.money.for.college..That. little.sandwich.shop.is.now.the.Subway.system,.operating.nearly.40,000.stores.in. 100.countries.around.the.world..Arby’s,.Blimpie,.Captain.D’s,.and.Hardee’s.also. began.selling.their.sandwiches.in.that.decade..Huddle.House,.the.restaurant.that. famously.never.closes,.opened.its.first.door.in.1964.and.was.marketed.as.a.place. for.customers.to.“huddle”.after.the.big.Friday.night.football.games..Red.Lobster. and.Ruth’s.Chris.Steak.House.started.operating.to.serve.the.needs.of.a.more.adult. diner. The Disco Era By.the.1970s,.the.world.was.a.little.more.settled..The.Vietnam.war.came.to.an. unsatisfactory.conclusion.with.the.fall.of.Saigon..The.hippies.had.gone.home,.and. disco.dominated.the.music.and.fashion.scene..Women.took.to.the.streets.and.the. halls.of.Congress.demanding.equal.rights,.and.Richard.Nixon.was.forced.to.resign. in.the.wake.of.the.Watergate.scandal.. The.1970s.were.boom.years.for.restaurant.growth,.with.nearly.800.companies. in.the.CSG.Database.debuting.between.1970.and.1979..Women.were.an. increasingly.large.part.of.the.workforce.during.this.time:.According.to.U.S.. government.numbers,.the.participation.rate.of.married.women.jumped.from.27.6%. in.1960.to.39.7%.in.1970.up.to.54.1%.by.1980..Married.women.often.have.families. so.this.movement.of.women.into.the.workplace.began.to.signal.the.increasing. importance.of.quality.time.with.their.loved.ones..Casual-dining.chains.such.as. CHAIN STORE GUIDE | 1-800-927-9292 | Outside U.S.A. 813-627-6800 | http://www.chainstoreguide.com Chain Store Guide® 2013 CHAIN RESTAURANT OPERATORS® a5 Bennigan’s,.Cheddar’s,.Cheesecake.Factory,.Houlihan’s,.Ruby.Tuesday,.and.Tony. Roma’s.all.premiered.during.that.decade,.offering.consumers.a.relaxed,.friendly. atmosphere.where.they.could.congregate.with.family.and.friends.over.adult. beverages.and.eat.mostly.American.food.that.they.didn’t.have.to.cook.themselves. or.clean.up.after.. Perhaps.because.of.the.burgeoning.Subway.chain,.the.era.also.saw.the. proliferation.of.sandwich.chains,.including.Au.Bon.Pain,.Jason’s.Deli,.Cousins. Subs,.Mr..Submarine,.Port.of.Subs,.and.Potbelly.Sandwich.Works..There.was.also. an.increasing.emphasis.on.ethnic.food,.especially.from.south.of.the.border..Taco. Cabana,.Taco.Mayo,.and.Taco.Maker.joined.the.growing.Taco.Bell.chain.in.bringing. Mexican.food.to.the.masses..Baja.Cantina,.Chili’s,.El.Toro,.Hacienda.Mexican. Restaurants,.King.Taco,.Mighty.Taco,.and.others.were.part.of.the.movement.. Starbucks.served.its.first.cup.of.coffee.in.1971,.launching.the.gourmet.coffee.trend. that.continues.up.to.today. The Decade of Decadence In.1987,.Ronald.Reagan.challenged.the.Soviet.Union’s.leader.Mikhail. Gorbachev.to.“tear.down.this.[Berlin].wall.”.By.the.end.of.the.decade.Germany.was. reunified,.and.the.Soviet.Union.was.unraveling..The.computer.age.was.well.and. truly.underway.with.the.introduction.of.personal.computers.into.offices.and.homes.. On.the.foodservice.front,.the.80s.were.the.decade.of.the.chicken.wing..The. most.commonly.accepted.version.of.the.origin.of.the.Buffalo.wing.phenomenon. is.that.they.were.first.served.at.the.Anchor.Bar.in.Buffalo,.NY,.in.the.mid-60s,.and. were.created.by.the.bar’s.owner.to.1).serve.unexpected.company,.2).prevent.them. from.going.to.waste.or.3).provide.a.treat.on.late.Friday.night.to.serve.their.Catholic. customers.who.hadn’t.eaten.meat.all.day..Wings.were.typically.discarded.by. restaurants.at.the.time,.so.finding.a.profitable.use.for.them.was.like.found.money.. In.1982,.Buffalo.Wild.Wings.opened.its.first.restaurant,.followed.the.next.year.by. Beef.‘O’.Brady’s.then.Hooters.in.the.mid-decade..We.also.saw.the.start.of.The.Wing. Machine,.Wings.N.Ribs,.and.Wings.to.Go.. Another.trend.noted.at.the.time.was.a.growing.desire.for.gourmet.ice.cream. and.treats..Feeding.this.appetite.were.Bruster’s,.Cinnabon,.Cold.Stone.Creamery,. Culver’s,.Dippin’.Dots,.and.Marble.Slab.Creamery..Sandwich.chains.continued.to. proliferate.with.the.openings.of.Jersey.Mike’s,.Penn.Station,.Philly.Franchising.. Five.Guys.Burgers.&.Fries.and.Panera.Bread.ushered.in.the.era.of.what.we. now.call.fast-casual.foodservice,.with.food.prepared.to.order.but.a.lower.price.point. than.a.traditional.casual.dining.location..More.coffee.houses.opened.under.the. Barnie’s.and.Joffrey’s.name...Many.of.the.other.restaurant.operators.that.began. in.that.decade.were.franchisees.of.varied.concepts.as.the.idea.of.the.franchise. business.model.caught.on..Among.the.more.than.1,200.restaurant.companies. founded.in.those.ten.years.was.a.proliferation.of.many.different.types.of.ethnic. chains,.ranging.from.Mexican.to.pizza.to.Chinese.to.Italian.to.Vietnamese.and. beyond.. CHAIN STORE GUIDE | 1-800-927-9292 | Outside U.S.A. 813-627-6800 | http://www.chainstoreguide.com a6 Chain Store Guide® 2013 CHAIN RESTAURANT OPERATORS® The Naughty Nineties The.1990s.began.with.the.invasion.of.Kuwait.by.the.troops.of.Iraq’s.president. Saddam.Hussein..Although.the.invaders.were.quickly.turned.back.by.a.coalition. force.from.34.nations,.it.foreshadowed.the.violence.that.was.to.come..The. World.Wide.Web.became.available.to.the.public,.and.computers.continued.to. revolutionize.how.business.was.done,.particularly.as.Microsoft.technology.grew.in. popularity.and.dominance.. There.were.two.major.foodservice.trends.in.the.1990s:.the.growing.popularity. of.the.fast-casual.service.model.and.the.desire.for.more.and.better.gourmet.coffee.