 | |
| Company type | Casual dining restaurant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | October 25, 1969 |
Number of locations | 5 |
| Website | https://www.mygroundround.com |
Ground Round Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant that was founded in 1969 in Massachusetts [1] by Howard Johnson's. [2] [3] Since January 17, 2010, Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC—a group originally formed of 30 franchisee owners, which is based in Freeport, Maine—became the owner of Ground Round. [4]
During the 1970s and 1980s, Ground Round was well known for its children's parties, showing silent movies and cartoons on a big screen, a mascot named Bingo the Clown, and for passing out whole peanuts where consumers were not discouraged from dropping the shells on the floor. [5] At its peak, the chain had over 200 restaurant locations. [6]
On February 13, 2004 the franchisor for Ground Round filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the process, all 69 corporate-owned restaurants, almost half of the Ground Rounds then open, abruptly closed their doors. [7] A group of franchisees joined together in order to buy out the company and started the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC. [8] As of March 2024, the company operates 4 locations in North Dakota, and Ohio.
References
- ^ Cahn, Lauren (2022-04-25). "The Untold Truth Of Ground Round". Mashed. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Grant, Tina (1997). International Directory of Company Histories. ISBN 9781558623514.
- ^ "Welcome to New Jersey's last Ground Round". NJ.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
- ^ MRM Staff (2017-06-23). "MRM Franchise Feed: White Castle Weddings, Ground Round Growing and KFC in Space". Modern Restaurant Management. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
- ^ "It's 1981 all over again: Ground Round is back". OnMilwaukee.com. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
- ^ "All Size Appetites".
- ^ The Ground Round Rebound, Fortune Small Business, February 1, 2005
- ^ Daley, Jason (2012-05-29). "How Ground Round, Sizzler and Bennigan's Bounced Back from Bankruptcy". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
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- Companies based in Maine
- Restaurants in Maine
- Economy of the Midwestern United States
- Economy of the Northeastern United States
- Regional restaurant chains in the United States
- Restaurants established in 1969
- Restaurant franchises
- 1969 establishments in Maine
- Howard Johnson's
- United States restaurant stubs