top 1oo independents change...

3 6 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s 3 7

MANAGEMENTCHANGE

Independent operators may be outpacing chains when it comes to sales growth, but the same challenges are stunting further potential across the industry. Top operators are finding ways to combat these costs by focusing on the experience. \ BY SCOTT HUME

#94 \ Le Coucou \ The New York Post called this concept from Starr Restaurants "one of the

21st century's four or five best restaurants of any type."

ou have to check every box,” says Rob Katz, co-owner of Chicago’s Boka Restaurant Group. “You have to excel in every aspect to be a successful restaurant. It’s just too tough out there.”

Restaurant Business’ 2018 ranking of the Top 100 Independent Restaurants shows just how

tough the marketplace can be, even for the most successful. Aggregate 2017 food and beverage revenue for these 100 restaurants was $1.845 billion, about 2.4% ahead of the previous year, a percent increase roughly equivalent to menu-price inflation. In other words, little real gain.

“YPh

Ot

Og

ra

Ph c

Ou

rt

esy

Of

Le c

Ou

cO

u

T O P 1 O O I N D E P E N D E N T S


4 0 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8

That is not to say impressive growth is impossible. Katz’s Boka Group, for exam-ple, opened a stylish new steakhouse, Swift & Sons, in Chicago in 2015. This year it makes its debut among the Top 100 at No. 66, with sales of $15.1 million last year. It did so, Katz says, because Boka checked the boxes—including a brash interior design that the site Chicagoist labeled “steampunk supper club” and “breathtaking.”

“You can’t serve good food in a boring room with mediocre service,” Katz says. “You have to be sensational in every de-tail in this competitive marketplace.” He says that means creating a distinctive, appealing and affordable menu; having stunning, signature design; and having flawless service.

But those features have always been a must for restaurants looking to suc-ceed, so what’s different now? “There’s so much pressure from home-meal op-tions, from Whole Foods and Blue Apron to delivery,” says Lee Maen, partner with Innovative Dining Group (IDG), operator of No. 96 BOA Steakhouse, among other concepts. “You can eat great quality food at home very easily these days, so our task is to bring people to us. When they go out dining, they’re looking for an experience.”

Michael Jacobs—partner in Corner Ta-ble Restaurants, which placed three The Smith locations among the Top 100 (Nos. 31, 34 and 39)—agrees. “If you look at the

evolution of The Smith from 2007, we have definitely upped our game in terms of finishes and the look and feel of the restau-rants. Guests have higher expectations,” Jacobs says. “The overall experience is more important to diners than ever before. It does make a difference.

“I tell our people all the time, ‘Guests will remember how you make them feel more than what you fed them.’ I think [em-phasis on experience] has been on the rise for the past five years.”

Diners want something different, something special, says Tricia Mackey. The VP of marketing for Chicago’s What If Syndicate—parent of Maple & Ash, which makes its first appearance on the Top 100 at No. 24, with $20.3 million in sales last year—Mackey says the company developed the restaurant “with the idea of taking the traditional steakhouse and flipping it on its head. So when you walk into Maple & Ash, you know it’s not your grandfather’s steakhouse.

“It’s hip and cool with a playful menu and amazing food quality. Chef Danny Grant has modernized the steakhouse menu with elements that are unexpect-ed and even tongue-in-cheek,” Mackey says. “We’re across the street from one of the oldest, most popular steakhouses in Chicago [No. 89, Tavern on Rush], so we knew we had to be something different and distinctive.”

LABOR WOESLike the rest of the industry, the Top 100 Independents struggled with workforce challenges, from wages to retention and training. Operators share how they are coping:

BOB CHINN’S CRAB HOUSE“We’re increasing teammate rewards and recognition and completely revamping our training programs.”

FOUNDING FARMERS (D.C.)“Lobbying efforts in D.C. to better educate council members on tip credits and server/bartender earnings.”

PARADISE COVE BEACH CAFE“Less people want back-of-the-house jobs—we are paying higher wages to keep good people.”

ACME FEED & SEED“We are maintaining an exciting and welcoming company culture to attract and retain the best employees.”

SWIFT & SONS“We implemented an intricate interviewing process. ... We also have implemented a 30/60/90 touch-base plan with each new team member to provide feedback and guidance.”

THE SOUTHERN STEAK & OYSTER“We retain our quality workforce by offering benefits like 401(k) and healthcare, which is unique for the industry.”

#66 \ Swift & Sons \ The high-end steakhouse from Boka Restaurant Group sits in what was once a cold storage facility. It shares an entrance

with Boka's 60-seat seafood and raw bar, Cold Storage.

PhO

tO

gr

aPh

cO

ur

te

sy O

f sw

ift

& s

On

s



Those unexpected touches include put-ting an onion ring atop the wedge salad. And that playfulness extends to a menu option for the undecided labeled “I Don’t Give a F*@k,” a $145 invitation to let chef Grant create a special multicourse tasting meal.

There are tablecloths at Maple & Ash, as well as at Starr Restaurants’ elegant new Le Coucou (No. 94) in New York City. Some industry observers see the return of table linens, crystal and floral bouquets as indic-ative of a resurgence in formal fine dining. “I’ve seen some people bring back a level of European formality done in a contempo-rary way,” says Michael Stillman, founder and president of Quality Branded (with three restaurants among the Top 100). “I don’t know if I’d say lavish, but you see ta-blecloths again in some places. I suppose that’s almost considered lavish, given where we’ve been [with bistros].” Jacobs of Corner Table believes the upscaling of decor is part of the need to stand out. He prefers the descriptor “polished casual.”

REAL-TIME COST STRUGGLESW hile the dining experience may

appear shiny, seamless and happy, ownership’s experience is anything but. The operation-

al challenges restaurateurs face are bigger,

meaner and stronger than ever before: soaring labor costs coupled in many mar-kets with labor shortages, rules on mini-mum wages and tip credits that vary from state to state and city to city, unreasonable rent increases, and a growing consumer af-fection for delivery that often relies on third parties and softens overall revenues.

“My sense is that because of all the costs pressures in the labor market, clear-ly there is a revolution going [on in the restaurant business],” says Jacobs, adding that there are concerns about what oper-ating a restaurant will look like over the next three to five years. “It’s easy to get focused on $15 minimum wage and not really know what to do and panic. It’s like a force you can’t control anymore,” Jacobs says. “So for us, we’re resigned to the fact that the world is evolving and that’s where we’re heading, and we have to operate a bit differently.”

From a labor perspective, Stillman thinks restaurants have a real challenge ahead of them over the next five to 10 years. “I think there will be fundamental shifts in how consumers are used to eating at restaurants, whether it’s tip-included or other things,” he says. “The average mar-gin is 7%, so there’s not a lot of room for er-ror. I think rising costs are a big issue now.”

The problems have been especially acute on the West Coast, with California lacking the tip credit and raising mini-mum wages. Maen of West Hollywood,

Calif.-based IDG says the minimum-wage problem “is life-altering for the restaurant business.”

So, too, is a 300% increase property tax, as happened to one of Boka Restau-rant Group’s concepts. “I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that,” says Katz. “And then you couple that with a shrinking labor pool that pushes up wages even higher, plus a very competitive marketplace, and it’s hard. It’s really tough. And that’s why a lot of restaurants are struggling or closing.” Restaurateur Tom Colicchio, for example, closed his Craftbar in New York City after a 50% rent boost to $60,000 a month, according to Eater.

New York City’s beloved Coffee Shop, No. 82 on this year’s Top 100, is slated to close in October after 28 years. “The times have changed in our industry,” co-owner Charles Milite told the New York Post. “The rents are very high and now the min-imum wage is going up and we have a huge number of employees.”

Restaurants “are an arm-and-leg busi-ness,” says Dante Serafini, partner in The Stinking Rose, which operates No. 72-ranked Franciscan Crab Restaurant on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, among others. “It takes a lot of bodies to make all this work. When labor goes up, it’s serious.”

He adds that he’s lucky food prices hav-en’t increased exponentially. “It used to be

MOST SUCCESSFUL MENU ADDITIONSA few trends emerged in this year’s list of top menu additions, including large-format shareable steaks, more sea scallops on the menu and interest in over-the-top desserts.

KOMODOFoodgod dessert

‘21’ CLUBParmesan-crusted halibut

ABE & LOUIE’SHarissa carrots with mint and feta cheese

ACME FEED & SEEDBBQ chicken

salad sandwich

BOA STEAKHOUSETomahawk and

porterhouse steaks

SWIFT & SONSDouble-stuffed

baked potato fOO

dg

Od

Ph

Ot

Og

ra

Ph c

Ou

rt

esy

Of

KO

mO

dO

; sw

ift

& s

On

s Ph

Ot

Og

ra

Ph b

y r

b



that food and labor were about the same percentage of our costs and now labor has taken over. … It’s not a balance you can work with for long.”

The hope, Serafini says, is that the labor cost increases have leveled off, at least in San Francisco, where the minimum wage is $15. “We have another $3 an hour in health benefits plus all the Social Security, workers’ comp and all the other add-ons. An entry-level dishwasher working 40 hours a week is at about $44,000 in San Francisco.”

CAN’T SKIMP ON THE EXPERIENCET

he difficult market challenges don’t have easy solutions. A recent New York Times article spotlighted San Francisco’s

Souvla restaurants’ adoption of a la-bor-saving fast-casual service model, with diners getting their wine refills from the bar and runners delivering food that was ordered at a counter. If this year’s list of independents is any indication, upscale restaurateurs don’t want to go there.

“I know lots of restaurants are doing away with runners or bussers or cutting the number of servers,” says Jacobs. “To me, it’s a death spiral if you drop your ser-vice level. I would rather ask, ‘Can we do something to re-engineer the menu a bit?’ so where we’re losing in labor we might make it up in food and beverage in some fashion. Or how can we operate more efficiently?”

Says Serafini, “We’re a full-service restaurant. That’s the event. It costs more.” His team can’t abbreviate the ser-vice much, he says. But that doesn’t mean automation is totally out of the picture as a cost-savings measure: “We need the bod-ies, but we’re looking for any automation that can help reduce labor. We’re trying to identify the best employees, compen-sate them well and have them help train [new employees] to reduce labor turnover, which is expensive. Otherwise we’re just focusing on service. The end experience is what matters.”

To maximize revenues, some restau-rants are renting out dining rooms to

BY THE NUMBERSfreelancers in off-hours or outsourcing bag-check rooms to private services, ac-cording to a New York Post article. Such gambits are popular because no one wants to raise menu prices.

“We’ve pretty much capped out,” says Serafini. “We’re at a point where we can’t raise prices any more. We do hear the feedback [about high prices]. We do un-derstand why. We’re at the edge where we could price ourselves out of the market.”

However, restaurateurs contacted for this article leavened the despair over op-erational challenges with aggressive ex-pansion plans. Boka is opening a Girl & the Goat (helmed by “Top Chef ” winner Stephanie Izard) in Los Angeles. A second Maple & Ash will open soon in Scottsdale, Ariz. Quality Branded has a Quality Eats in the works for Chicago, where Corner Table is looking to add a The Smith.

Chicago researcher Technomic fore-casts real growth for foodservice of just 1.2% this year, below the cautious 1.4% it saw for 2017. But most Top 100 operators know they have checked all the boxes and are well-positioned to withstand the cur-rent turbulence.

“I think the great operators are stand-ing tall at the moment,” says Jacobs. “I’m not overly concerned. I feel we’re a good enough operator that we can figure out how we have to evolve to meet the chal-lenges of the market.”

#24 \ Maple & Ash \ Wine Spectator named the steakhouse's wine program one of America's best. The concept also launched a Maple & Ash Wine Club. Members get bottles delivered

quarterly, and they have a personal wine captain who gets to know their preferences.

30Number of

steakhouses on the ranking

10Number of concepts new to the ranking, including Prime & Provisions (No. 77)

30Number of concepts in New York City

$194.77Highest average check‘21’ Club (No. 46)

$16.82Lowest average checkZehnder’s of Frankenmuth (No. 64)

Six of the concepts have check averages

below $20.

PhO

tO

gr

aPh

s c

Ou

rt

esy

Of

ma

PLe

& a

sh a

nd

Pr

ime

& P

rO

vis

iOn

s

O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s 4 7

9 GIBSONS BAR & STEAKHOUSE

Chicago $25.4M 8,725 290 $78.23 357,897

2017 salesSq footageTotal seatsAvg checkMeals sold

10 SMITH & WOLLENSKY

New York City $25.4M 20,000 480 $103.01 285,542


8 BRYANT PARK GRILL & CAFE

New York City $25.9M* N/A 1,000 $53.00* 422,000


6 THE BOATHOUSE

Orlando, Fla. $33.0M 16,500 391 $42.84 790,174


7 LAVONew York City

$27.4M* 9,000 250 $88.00* 206,000*


T H E R A N K I N G5 OLD EBBITT

GRILLWashington, D.C. $33.7M 25,000 400 $72.13 1,462,781


11 BALTHAZARNew York City

$25.0M* N/A 205 $80.00* 1,000,000*


1 TAO LAS VEGASLas Vegas

$43.4M* 40,000 439 $93.00* 230,668*


4 TAO DOWNTOWNNew York City

$34.3M* 22,000 490 $98.00 320,600


3 CARMINE'S New York City

(Times Square)

$35.2M N/A 480 $33.83 430,773


2 JOE’S STONE CRABMiami Beach, Fla.

$35.9M 8,800 450 $70.00 306,000


#6 \ The Boathouse \ Disney World's upscale waterfront restaurant, opened in 2015, is managed

by Gibsons Restaurant Group.

#29 \ Komodo \ Southeast Asian cuisine meets a South Florida vibe in

this three-story dining complex.

Restaurants in this year's Top 100 Independents ranking brought in about the same in food and beverage revenues as they did the prior two years—$1.8 billion. Winning over guests

was key to staying afloat in today's tough, competitive market. \ COMPILED BY SCOTT HUME


*RB estimate

PhO

tO

gr

aPh

s c

Ou

rt

esy

Of

KO

mO

dO

an

d t

he

bOa

th

Ou

se


PhO

tO

gr

aPh

cO

ur

te

sy O

f Pa

dd

lefi

sh

15 PRIME 112Miami Beach, Fla.

$23.4M 5,000 200 $125.00 202,000


14 VANDALNew York City

$23.4M* 22,000 385 $83.00* 213,320*


12 TAO UPTOWNNew York City

$23.8M* 22,000 490 $88.00* 292,342*


13 JUNIOR’SNew York City

(Times Square)

$23.5M 8,000 368 $19.53 1,202,191


16 THE HAMILTONWashington, D.C.

$23.0M 39,000 1,000 $60.74 782,486


18 JOE'S SEAFOOD,PRIME STEAK & STONE CRAB

Las Vegas $21.7M* N/A 384 $87.00 260,000*



Washington, D.C. $22.8M* 14,000 454 $85.00* 280,000*



Chicago $21.3M* N/A 335 $82.00* 265,000*


23 CARNEVINO ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE

Las Vegas $20.6M* N/A 240 $182.00* 110,000*


25 BAZAAR MEAT BY JOSE ANDRES

Las Vegas $20.3M* N/A 335 $108.00* 194,000*


36 LE DIPLOMATEWashington, D.C.

$18.4M N/A 311 $60.00* 309,000*


35 ABE & LOUIE’SBoston

$18.4M 10,300 341 $88.00* 223,000*


33 QUALITY MEATSNew York City

$18.7M 12,000 185 $106.17 175,378


22 BOTTEGA LOUIELos Angeles

$20.7M 9,998 255 $45.67 408,663


21 BUDDAKAN New York City

$21.2M N/A 320 $85.00* 260,000*


19 ANGUS BARNRaleigh, N.C.

$21.7M N/A 687 $69.00 313,910


27 SW STEAKHOUSELas Vegas

$20.1M* N/A 155 $133.00* 152,000*


26 RPM STEAKChicago

$20.3M* 11,000 470 $98.00* 206,900*


24 MAPLE & ASHChicago

$20.3M 10,500 215 $85.00 210,223


31 THE SMITHNew York City

(Lincoln Square)

$19.3M 9,630 325 $44.60 554,929


28 PADDLEFISHOrlando, Fla.

$19.5M* 32,000 525 $45.00* 410,000*


30 ST. ELMO STEAK HOUSE

Indianapolis $19.5M N/A 480 $92.00 239,725*


29 KOMODOMiami

$19.5M 17,000 340 $92.50 220,000



Oak Brook, Ill. $18.3M 21,958 719 $76.96 267,387


32 PARCPhiladelphia

$19.1M 9,625 302 $58.00* 440,000*


34 THE SMITH New York City

(NoMad)

$18.6M 14,000 315 $46.21 460,357


#28 \ Paddlefish \ Previously called Fulton's Crab House, the concept was reimagined and

reopened in February 2017.


“We’ve had a 100% labor increase. The front of the house used to work on gratuities, tips. So the back of the house was always wages. We were able to focus on BOH wages with minimum wage in the FOH. Now that’s completely changed. It’s changed the industry itself.” —DANTE SERAFINI, THE STINKING ROSE

*RB estimate


Crispy & delicious forup to 30 minutes!†

Learn more at

LambWeston.com/Delivery

Designed to help ensure fry quality

up to 30 minutes when using the

Crispy on Delivery cup.

Unique patents pending fry cup,

allows moisture to escape while

keeping fries warm.

Expert advice on optimal back-of-house

and store-to-door practices.

The world’s firstcomprehensive frydelivery solution.

†Optimal consumer liking intervals based on sensorytests 2015 & 2017; delivery cup necessary for achieving30 minutes of crispiness

©2018 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

NEW

Revolutionary coating

Innovative packaging

Delivery support

O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s 4 9

45 ACME FEED & SEED

Nashville $17.6M 22,000 300 $18.50 951,584


49 SHAW’S CRAB HOUSE

Chicago $17.4M* N/A 370 $68.00* 270,000*


50 QUALITY ITALIAN

New York City $16.8M 11,000 210 $93.02 175,301


51 ARIA CAFE Las Vegas

$16.7M* 13,681 600 $27.00* 690,000*


39 THE SMITHNew York City

(Midtown)

$18.2M 10,450 265 $46.95 440,301


38 SPARKS STEAK HOUSE

New York City $18.2M* N/A 684 $93.00 210,000*


40 BOB CHINN’S CRAB HOUSE

Wheeling, Ill. $18.1M 19,950 736 $42.32 575,567


46 '21' CLUBNew York City

$17.6M 20,000 720 $194.77 114,570


47 TAVERN ON THE GREEN

New York City $17.5M* 11,000 345 $74.00* 262,000*


48 CHICAGO CUT STEAKHOUSE

Chicago $17.4M* N/A 270 $88.00* 211,000*


44 MON AMI GABI

Las Vegas $17.7M* N/A 400 $69.00* 315,000*


43 FOUNDING FARMERS

Washington, D.C. $17.9M 8,530 261 $36.75 560,662


42 DEL POSTONew York City

$17.9M* 24,000 175 $163.00* 111,000*



Rosemont, Ill. $18.1M 10,500 410 $74.81 257,847


#43 \ Founding Farmers \ Parent Farmer Restaurant Group is majority owned by 47,000 family farmer

members of the North Dakota Farmers Union.

52 PRIME STEAKHOUSE

Las Vegas $16.7M* 7,500 210 $160.00* 113,000*


“It has gotten very competitive in this world we’re in, food and beverage. Very competitive and tricky. You have to blaze a trail instead of following.”

—ROB KATZ, BOKA RESTAURANT GROUP

PhO

tO

gr

aPh

cO

ur

te

sy O

f fO

un

din

g f

ar

mer

s

*RB estimate


53 BEAUTY & ESSEX New York City

$16.7M* 10,000 550 $88.00* 195,717*


56 HARRIS RANCH INN & RESTAURANT

Coalinga, Calif. $16.5M N/A 480 $27.79 593,803


57 CHOPS LOBSTER BAR

Atlanta $16.3M* N/A 341 $104.00* 196,000*


54 GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR

New York City $16.7M* 23,000 450 $60.00* 308,000*


55 LAVO ITALIANRESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Las Vegas $16.5M* 25,000 382 $88.00* 139,000*


60 TOP OF THE WORLD

Las Vegas $16.2M* 7,200 476 $99.00* 175,000*


61 LA SIRENANew York City

$16.1M* N/A 278 $83.00* 225,000*



66 SWIFT & SONSChicago

$15.1M 15,000 370 $98.42* 153,693*


67 THE LOBSTER HOUSE

Cape May, N.J. $15.0M* 49,445 550 $41.00* 320,000*


68 HUGO’S FROG BAR & FISH HOUSE

Chicago $15.0M 14,050 398 $76.95 187,768


65 JUNIOR'SNew York City

(49th Street)

$15.5M 14,500 275 $19.44 797,270

64 ZEHNDER’S OF FRANKENMUTH

Frankenmuth, Mich. $15.9M 80,000 1,500 $16.82 965,039


74 PORTLAND CITY GRILL

Portland, Ore. $14.6M N/A 559 $75.17 304,884


75 JEAN-GEORGES STEAKHOUSE

Las Vegas $14.6M* N/A 220 $112.00* 127,000*


73 PARADISE COVE BEACH CAFE

Malibu, Calif. $14.8M 7,000 290 $43.00 410,000


72 FRANCISCAN CRAB RESTAURANT

San Francisco $14.9M 12,000 326 $59.00 280,000


71 HARRY CARAY’S ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE

Chicago $14.9M* 24,000 450 $55.00* 295,000*


58 TASTE OF TEXAS

Houston $16.2M N/A 515 $55.00 363,650*


59 KEENS STEAKHOUSE

New York City $16.2M* N/A 300 $93.00* 180,000*


62 MORIMOTO ASIAOrlando, Fla.

$16.1M* 11,000 474 $68.00* 499,000*


63 DELMONICO STEAKHOUSE

Las Vegas $16.0M* N/A 260 $95.00* 148,000*


#65 \ Junior's \ The 49th Street location opened in June 2017, yet still totaled more than $15 million in sales and served nearly 800,000 meals.

“Our primary purpose every day is to make people happy. If we do that, people will visit as

regularly as before and they will recognize that operators are making adjustments to

accommodate the outside factors.”—MICHAEL JACOBS, CORNER TABLE RESTAURANTS

69 FRANKENMUTH BAVARIAN INN

Frankenmuth, Mich. $15.0M 90,000 1,200 $17.66 848,141


70 MAKOTOBal Harbour, Fla.

$15.0M 5,235 204 $63.00* 228,000*



PhO

tO

gr

aPh

cO

ur

te

sy O

f Ju

niO

r's

*RB estimate

MAKE IT WORTH SHARING

1 Duffey, Lizzie, Top 5 Ways Consumers Will Enjoy Specialty Cheese in 2018, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dec. 18, 2017 © 2018 Saputo Cheese USA Inc. All rights reserved. Cheesemaker’s Reserve® is a registered trademark owned by Saputo Cheese USA Inc. The brands and logos shown herein are protected trademarks used by Saputo Cheese USA Inc.

Saputo Cheese USA Inc., Lincolnshire, Illinois 60069 • (800) 824-3373

GET YOUR CHEESE BOARDS SOCIAL MEDIA–READY WITH CHEESEMAKER’S RESERVE® BRAND

69% of millennials take a photo or video of their food before eating,1 giving you the perfect opportunity to wow them. Saputo

makes getting shared easy by bringing in-demand, picture-perfect cheese to your menu with our Cheesemaker’s Reserve® Brand

collection. These savory cheeses offer the versatility and variety you need to stay on trend and in social media feeds.

Visit saputousafoodservice.com to get on board.

80 SCOMA’SSan Francisco

$14.3M 15,000 330 $60.00* 335,000*


77 PRIME & PROVISIONS

Chicago $14.5M* 12,000 250 $95.00* 147,000*


78 THE BAZAAR BY JOSE ANDRES

Beverly Hills, Calif. $14.5M* N/A 417 $96.00* 152,000*


79 15TH STREET FISHERIES

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. $14.4M* N/A 530 $63.00* 352,000*


76 THE SOUTHERN STEAK & OYSTER

Nashville $14.6M 7,000 298 $75.00 352,813


85 ATLANTA FISH MARKET

Atlanta $14.1M* N/A 436 $51.00* 273,00*


82 COFFEE SHOPNew York City

$14.2M* 17,000 270 $45.00* 312,000*


83 CLIFF HOUSESan Francisco

$14.1M* 25,000 451 $48.00* 286,000*


84 THE RUSTIC INNDania Beach, Fla.

$14.1M* N/A 575 $29.00* 510,000*


81 JUNIOR’SNew York City

(Brooklyn)

$14.2M 14,000 420 $23.14 615,386


“[Economics] have dampened

new restaurant openings. …

There are openings but by less savvy

restaurateurs.”—MICHAEL STILLMAN,

QUALITY BRANDED

“The [development] deals are getting more flexible. Developers need restaurants more than ever and I think for new locations we’re going to be able strike a better deal on rent or more TIs [tenant improvements].”—LEE MAEN, INNOVATIVE DINING GROUP

90 ROCK CENTER CAFÉ

New York City $13.5M* N/A 220 $60.00* 320,000*


91 TIMBERLINE STEAKS AND GRILLE

Denver $13.4M 4,558 158 $19.17 994,442


92 FOUNDING FARMERS

McLean, Va. $13.2M 11,525 262 $37.95 404,015


95 GEORGE’S AT THE COVE

La Jolla, Calif. $12.9M* N/A 250 $85.00* 265,000*


94 LE COUCOUNew York City

$13.0M N/A 80 $125.00* 154,000*


93 MIKE’S “AMERICAN”

Springfield, Va. $13.1M* N/A 300 $33.00* 470,000*



89 TAVERN ON RUSH

Chicago $13.7M 8,800 380 $75.00 350,000


87 CARMINE'S Atlantic City, N.J.

$13.9M N/A 552 $33.39 131,416


88 VIRGIL'S REAL BARBECUE

New York City $13.8M N/A 340 $29.95 209,650


86 QUARTINORISTORANTE & WINE BAR

Chicago $14.1M 12,100 528 $30.53 423,892


METHODOLOGY RB’s Top 100 Independents ranking is a measure of the highest-grossing independent restaurants. Restaurant concepts with no more than five locations are considered “independents” for this list (although it’s possible a restaurant that shares a name with a chain but is owned and operated separately would qualify, such as Smith & Wollensky in New York City). Rankings are based on gross 2017 food and beverage sales. Information was gathered through surveys. When data wasn’t provided, sales were estimated based on public information, similar concepts and other factors.

#100 \ Farmers Fishers Bakers \ The LEED-certified concept, owned by Farmers Restaurant Group, serves regionally

inspired American cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

100 FARMERS FISHERS BAKERS

Washington, D.C. $12.4M 9,662 273 $35.77 383,238


96 BOA STEAKHOUSE

West Hollywood, Calif. $12.7M 12,500 325 $106.09 102,122


97 CAFE FIORELLONew York City

$12.7M* N/A 154 $59.00* 238,000*


98 BOULEVARDSan Francisco

$12.5M* N/A 176 $100.00* 122,000*


99 BEAUTY & ESSEX Las Vegas

$12.4M* 10,000 346 $88.00* 142,500*


PhO

tO

gr

aPh

cO

ur

te

sy O

f fa

rm

ers

fish

ers

baK

ers

*RB estimate


RESTAURANT CITY RANK 2017 SALES RESTAURANT CITY RANK 2017 SALES

15th Street Fisheries Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 79 $14.4M*

'21' Club New York City 46 $17.6M

Abe & Louie’s Boston 35 $18.4M

Acme Feed & Seed Nashville 45 $17.6M

Angus Barn Raleigh, N.C. 19 $21.7M

Aria Cafe Las Vegas 51 $16.7M*

Atlanta Fish Market Atlanta 85 $14.1M*

Balthazar New York City 11 $25.0M*

Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres Las Vegas 25 $20.3M*

Beauty & Essex Las Vegas 99 $12.4M*

Beauty & Essex New York City 53 $16.7M*

BOA Steakhouse West Hollywood, Calif. 96 $12.7M

Bob Chinn’s Crab House Wheeling, Ill. 40 $18.1M

Bottega Louie Los Angeles 22 $20.7M

Boulevard San Francisco 98 $12.5M*

Bryant Park Grill & Cafe New York City 8 $25.9M*

Buddakan New York City 21 $21.2M

Cafe Fiorello New York City 97 $12.7M*

Carmine's Atlantic City, N.J. 87 $13.9M

Carmine's (Times Square) New York City 3 $35.2M

Carnevino Italian Steakhouse Las Vegas 23 $20.6M*

Chicago Cut Steakhouse Chicago 48 $17.4M*

Chops Lobster Bar Atlanta 57 $16.3M*

Cliff House San Francisco 83 $14.1M*

Coffee Shop New York City 82 $14.2M*

Del Posto New York City 42 $17.9M*

Delmonico Steakhouse Las Vegas 63 $16.0M*

Farmers Fishers Bakers Washington, D.C. 100 $12.4M

Founding Farmers Washington, D.C. 43 $17.9M

Founding Farmers McLean, Va. 92 $13.2M

Franciscan Crab Restaurant San Francisco 72 $14.9M

Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Frankenmuth, Mich. 69 $15.0M

George’s at the Cove La Jolla, Calif. 95 $12.9M*

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse Chicago 9 $25.4M

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse Oak Brook, Ill. 37 $18.3M

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse Rosemont, Ill. 41 $18.1M

Grand Central Oyster Bar New York City 54 $16.7M*

Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant Coalinga, Calif. 56 $16.5M

Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse Chicago 71 $14.9M*

Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House Chicago 68 $15.0M

Jean-Georges Steakhouse Las Vegas 75 $14.6M*

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Washington, D.C. 17 $22.8M*

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Chicago 20 $21.3M*

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Las Vegas 18 $21.7M*

Joe’s Stone Crab Miami Beach, Fla. 2 $35.9M

Junior's (49th Street) New York City 65 $15.5M

Junior’s (Brooklyn) New York City 81 $14.2M

Junior’s (Times Square) New York City 13 $23.5M

Keens Steakhouse New York City 59 $16.2M*

Komodo Miami 29 $19.5M

La Sirena New York City 61 $16.1M*

Lavo Italian Restaurant & Lounge Las Vegas 55 $16.5M*

Lavo Italian Restaurant & Nightclub New York City 7 $27.4M*

Le Coucou New York City 94 $13.0M

Le Diplomate Washington, D.C. 36 $18.4M

Makoto Bal Harbour, Fla. 70 $15.0M

Maple & Ash Chicago 24 $20.3M

Mike’s “American” Springfield, Va. 93 $13.1M*

Mon Ami Gabi Las Vegas 44 $17.7M*

Morimoto Asia Orlando, Fla. 62 $16.1M*

Old Ebbitt Grill Washington, D.C. 5 $33.7M

Paddlefish Orlando, Fla. 28 $19.5M*

Paradise Cove Beach Cafe Malibu, Calif. 73 $14.8M

Parc Philadelphia 32 $19.1M

Portland City Grill Portland, Ore. 74 $14.6M

Prime & Provisions Chicago 77 $14.5M*

Prime 112 Miami Beach, Fla. 15 $23.4M

Prime Steakhouse Las Vegas 52 $16.7M*

Quality Italian New York City 50 $16.8M

Quality Meats New York City 33 $18.7M

Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar Chicago 86 $14.1M

Rock Center Cafe New York City 90 $13.5M*

RPM Steak Chicago 26 $20.3M*

Scoma’s San Francisco 80 $14.3M

Shaw’s Crab House Chicago 49 $17.4M*

Smith & Wollensky New York City 10 $25.4M

Sparks Steak House New York City 38 $18.2M*

St. Elmo Steak House Indianapolis 30 $19.5M

SW Steakhouse Las Vegas 27 $20.1M*

Swift & Sons Chicago 66 $15.1M

Tao Downtown New York City 4 $34.3M*

Tao Las Vegas Las Vegas 1 $43.4M*

Tao Uptown New York City 12 $23.8M*

Taste of Texas Houston 58 $16.2M

Tavern on Rush Chicago 89 $13.7M

Tavern on the Green New York City 47 $17.5M*

The Bazaar by Jose Andres Beverly Hills, Calif. 78 $14.5M*

The Boathouse Orlando, Fla. 6 $33.0M

The Hamilton Washington, D.C. 16 $23.0M

The Lobster House Cape May, N.J. 67 $15.0M*

The Rustic Inn Dania Beach, Fla. 84 $14.1M*

The Smith (Lincoln Square) New York City 31 $19.3M

The Smith (Midtown) New York City 39 $18.2M

The Smith (NoMad) New York City 34 $18.6M

The Southern Steak & Oyster Nashville 76 $14.6M

Timberline Steaks and Grille Denver 91 $13.4M

Top of the World Las Vegas 60 $16.2M*

Vandal New York City 14 $23.4M*

Virgil's Real Barbecue New York City 88 $13.8M

Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth Frankenmuth, Mich. 64 $15.9M

5 6 R e s ta u R a n t B u s i n e s s O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 *RB estimate

top 1oo independents change...

Documents