Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) is a restaurant group currently comprising 120 or more restaurants mainly located in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and h ...

. It was founded by

Rich Melman Rich Melman (born 1942) is an American businessman, and the founder and chairman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a privately held restaurant company with more than 100 venues."Let Us Now Praise R.J. Grunts: How Rich Melman and his Lettuce ...

and Jerry A. Orzoff in 1971.

History

The first restaurant, R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park, opened on June 10, 1971. It is still in operation, as of 2020. The company lists nine original partners: Bill Higgins, Melman, Bill Frost, Bob Wattel, Charles Haskell, Orzoff, Marvin Magid, Danny Koval and Fred Joast. By 1976 the company had 5 restaurants and a band called Fresh Lettuce. The partners continued expanding the company's network of restaurants. By the mid-1980s, the company employed over 2,000 people and had annual revenues of $40 million. Since its founding the company has opened 130 restaurants, with 70 concepts. The restaurants are unique and vary in price, theme, and cuisine. However, they generally combine theatrical flair and good value. LEYE currently owns, licenses or manages more than 100 establishments in Illinois, California, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Nevada, including Wildfire, Petterino's, RPM Italian, RPM Steak, Beatrix, Oyster Bah, Shaw's Crab House, and Everest. Also among its creations are two restaurants in the Paris Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Eiffel Tower and

Mon Ami Gabi Mon Ami Gabi is a chain of French bistros in the United States operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Mon Ami Gabi has five locations, with the original located in Lincoln Park, Chicago. History The concept for Mon Ami Gabi was created af ...

(an expansion of the flagship location in Chicago), Big Bowl, and L2O. IN 2000, LEYE had 38 partners, 45 concepts, and 4,000 employees. It owns, operates and licenses 90 restaurant venues in the United States. It has separate restaurant consulting and restaurant development companies. The food court at

Water Tower Place Water Tower Place is a large urban, mixed-use development comprising a shopping mall, hotel, theater, and condominiums in a 74-story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The mall is located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, along the Mag ...

is among its operations. 1999 annual revenue estimates ranged from $145 to over $200 million. 2005 revenue estimates were $300 million, with 5000 employees and approximately $50 million in net earnings.

Restaurants

Lettuce Entertain You restaurants include: *Aba *Antico Posto *Beatrix *Beatrix Market *Big Bowl *Big Bowl Chinese Express *Bub City *Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! * Community Canteen *Di Pescara *Eiffel Tower *El Segundo Sol *Ēma *Hub 51 *Il Porcellin

*Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab - an offshoot of Joe's Stone Crab in Miami *

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans c ...

(franchisee) *L. Woods * Maggiano's Little Italy (consultant) *M Burger *

*Osteria Via Stato *Pizzeria Portofino *Pizzeria Via Stato *R.J. Grunt's *Ramen-San *RPM Italian *RPM Seafood *RPM Steak *Shaw's Crab House *Stella Barra Pizzeria Santa Monica *Stripburger *Sushi-San *Tallboy Taco *The Dalcy *Three Dots and a Dash *Tokio Pub *Twin City Grill *Wildfire *Wow Bao

Sold/divested restaurants

Corner Bakery Cafe Corner Bakery Cafe (CBC Restaurant Corporation) is an American chain of cafes that specialize in pastries, breads, breakfast dishes, gourmet sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and pasta. Corner Bakery Cafe is considered to be a part of the fa ...

*Petterino's

Closed restaurants

*A 1 Beanery *Reel Club *Nacional 27 * Magic Pan Crepe Stand *Frankie's Scaloppine & Fifth Floor Pizzeria *Mity Nice Grill *Foodlife *Don & Charlie's *

Tru (restaurant) Tru was a French restaurant located in the Streeterville neighborhood in Chicago. Tru was opened in 1999 by Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with the backing of Rich Melman's Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. It was a Michelin one-star restaurant ...

, closed 2017 *

L2O L2O was a Chicago seafood restaurant opened in 2008 by chef Laurent Gras and owned and operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. The name of the restaurant stands for Lake to Ocean. The restaurant was located at 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, Ch ...

, closed 2014 *Fritz That's It *Lawrence of Oregano *Jonathan Livingston Seafood *Oyster Bah *Naoki Sushi *Ben Pao *Scoozi! *Stella Barra Pizzeria Chicago *Stella Barra Pizzeria Hollywood *Tucci Benucch *Intro *The Eccentric *Hat Dance *Great Gritzbe's Flying Food Show *Un Grand Cafe *RJ Grunts (Glenview location) *

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

Notes

{{Reflist Companies based in Chicago Restaurants in Chicago Restaurants established in 1971 Restaurant groups in the United States 1971 establishments in Illinois

History

Restaurants

Sold/divested restaurants

Closed restaurants

See also

Notes