Bennigan's

History

Bennigan's got its start in 1976 in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Pillsbury company. Norman E. Brinker, a Pillsbury vice president who had founded Steak and Ale, was behind it. The first major Bennigan's restaurant opened the next year in Tysons Corner, Virginia. In 1983, Brinker and a group of senior managers left the Steak and Ale and Bennigan's division to buy Chili's, a regional chain known for gourmet hamburgers.

In 1989, Pillsbury was bought by Grand Metropolitan, a large liquor distributor. Because of "three-tier" laws that stop liquor distributors from owning liquor retailers, Grand Met had to sell off Bennigan's and Steak and Ale, which were then acquired by Metromedia. At its high point, the chain had more than 300 restaurants. But sales dropped because the brand didn't update, grow, or stand out, quality slipped, and what customers wanted changed.

In May 2006, Bennigan's shut down all its restaurants in New York and Connecticut. In July 2008, the company that owned the brand and ran the corporate locations filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed all 150 of its U.S. corporate restaurants. The 138 franchisee-owned spots stayed open at first, but many closed over the next few years. In South Korea, more than 30 locations kept running until they closed in January 2016.

In October 2008, Atalaya Capital Management bought the Bennigan's and Steak and Ale brands and the franchisor, planning to reopen corporate locations as franchises. In May 2012, management announced a new logo, store design, franchise models, menu, and catering. New restaurants are smaller and more modern but keep a nostalgic feel. In February 2015, CEO Paul Mangiamele and his wife Gwen bought the company through Legendary Restaurant Brands, LLC for an undisclosed price.

In 2018 and 2019, the company said it had over 100 units in development, including international spots in Amsterdam, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Pakistan. In 2021, the company licensed its "On The Fly" brand to hotels as virtual restaurants.

In popular culture

Bennigan's is featured in several scenes of the film About Fate (2022). The film Waiting was inspired by director Rob McKittrick's experiences working at Bennigan's and Steak and Ale. The restaurant is referenced multiple times in the animated series South Park: in the episode "Butters' Very Own Episode" (2001), Butters repeatedly expresses excitement about celebrating his parents' anniversary at Bennigan's; in "Canada on Strike" (2008), Canada ends a strike in exchange for coupons to Bennigan's and bubble gum. In The Muppets Mayhem (2023), Floyd becomes a commercial jingle writer and is surprised to hear that Bennigan's is back, after saying last he heard it went out of business in 2008.