The Capital Grille at Wayside Commons, Burlington MA

The Capital Grille is an American

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

of upscale

steakhouse A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse refers to a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops, found mainly in North America. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as f ...

s owned by

Darden Restaurants Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando. As of January 2022, the firm owns two fine dining restaurant chains: Eddie V's and The Capital Grille; and six casual dining restaurant chains: O ...

. The brand has locations in twenty-five states, the

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, and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

History

The original Capital Grille was founded by Ned Grace, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, in 1990. The opening was curious for several reasons: the upscale steakhouse contrasted with the then-rundown downtown area of Providence, and the opening occurred amid an ongoing recession. Grace envisioned the restaurant being popular with business and political elite, and his ideas proved to be accurate. Seven years after opening, the original location pulled in over $4 million in annual sales. Under the leadership of Grace's Bugaboo Creek Steak House Inc. (the name of Grace's other chain), the chain expanded to several major markets. By 1996, The Capital Grille had locations in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In 1997, aided by a $20 million credit line from two banks, it expanded with four more locations. Bugaboo Creek Steak House Inc. went public in 1994, and later changed its name to RARE Hospitality International, Inc. According to ''The Washington Business Journal'', the chain was acquired by Darden Restaurants as a "part of a $1.19 billion acquisition of RARE Hospitality in 2007". The Capital Grille operates under the Specialty Restaurant Group division of Darden. In March 2018, a spinoff restaurant called The Capital Burger was opened in Washington, DC. In January 2020, The Capital Burger opened their second location in

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movem ...

Locations

As of June 2021 there were 63 locations, including one location recently opened in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Lawsuit

In 2012, employees in five states filed lawsuits against the company alleging

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

and wage violations. The lawsuit alleges that the company favored white workers over people of color for lucrative tipped jobs as well as requiring tipped workers to share their earnings with non-tipped workers.

Thanksgiving controversy

In 2013, the Capital Grille in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

was open for Thanksgiving for the first time in its history. Capital Grille employees at the Pittsburgh location and members of the

Restaurant Opportunities Center The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) is a not-for-profit organization and worker center with affiliates in a number of cities across the United States. Its mission is to improve wages and working conditions for the nation's low wage ...

protested having to work on Thanksgiving without receiving holiday pay. In addition, the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city ...

passed a Will of Council opposing Capital Grille's decision to force employees to work on Thanksgiving without holiday pay.

References

External links

*
Darden Restaurants, Inc. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capital Grille Companies based in Orlando, Florida Restaurants established in 1990 Darden Restaurants brands Restaurant chains in the United States Steakhouses in the United States 1990 establishments in Rhode Island 2007 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1990