| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1971 in Chicago, Illinois |
| Founder(s) | Rich Melman & Jerry A. Orzoff |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Key people | Rich Melman, co-founder Jerry A. Orzoff, co-founder |
| Revenue | $300 million (2005) |
| Net income | $50 million (2005) |
| Employees | 5,000 (2005) |
| Website | www.leye.com |
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) is a group of approximately 70 restaurants founded by Rich Melman and Jerry A. Orzoff in Chicago, IL in 1971.
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The first restaurant was R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park, opened on June 10, 1971.[1]
The company lists nine original partners: Bill Higgins, Melman, Bill Frost, Bob Wattel, Danny Coval, Charles Haskell, Orzoff, Marvin Magid, and Fred Joast.[2] By 1976 the company had 5 restaurants.[3] 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.[3] Since its founding the company has opened 130 restaurants, with 70 concepts.[4]
The restaurants are unique and vary in price, theme, and cuisine. However, they generally combine theatrical flair and good value.[5] LEYE currently owns, licenses or manages more than 60 establishments in Illinois, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Minnesota and Nevada, including Wildfire, Petterino's, Dipescara, Shaw's Crab House, and Everest.[2] Also among its creations are two restaurants in the Paris Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Eiffel Tower and Mon Ami Gabi (an expansion of the flagship location in Chicago), Big Bowl, and L2O.[6] The newest, opened in fall 2011, is Saranellos in Wheeling, Illinois.[1]
As of 2000, LEYE had 38 partners, 45 concepts, and 4,000 employees It owns, operates and licenses 75 restaurant venues, in the United States and Japan. It has separate restaurant consulting and restaurant development companies.[7] The food court at Water Tower Place is among its operations.[8] 1999 annual revenue estimates ranged from $145 to over $200 million.[6][7] 2005 revenue estimates were $300 million, with 5000 employees and approximately $50 million in net earnings.[4]
Lettuce Entertain You restaurants include:[4]