Brinker International, Inc. , is the parent company

Parent company

A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...

 of Chili's

Chili's

Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...

 and Maggiano's Little Italy

Maggiano's Little Italy

Maggiano's Little Italy is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Northern Ireland founded in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1991 by Richard Melman's Lettuce Entertain You and named for Melman's late partner,...

.

History

It was founded in 1975 as Chili's Bar and Grill, purchased by restaurateur Norman E. Brinker

Norman E. Brinker

Norman Eugene Brinker was a prominent restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field, such as the salad bar.-Biography:He was born on June 3, 1931...

 in 1983 and rechristened Brinker International in 1990; it now has more than 1,500 restaurants worldwide with 77,100 employees and system-wide sales exceeding $2 billion annually. Based in Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

.

Key Dates

• 1975: Larry Lavine opens first Chili's Grill & Bar in Dallas, Texas.
• 1983: Norman Brinker takes over Chili's
  Chili's
  Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...
  
   restaurant chain.
• 1988: First Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The first restaurant was founded by Texas restaurateur Philip J. Romano in Leon Springs, Texas, on April 19, 1988. Brinker International bought the...
  
   opens in Leon Springs, Texas.
• 1991: Chili's
  Chili's
  Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...
  
   is renamed Brinker International, Inc.
• 1992: Brinker reaches an agreement with Pac-Am Food Concepts to expand Chili's
  Chili's
  Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...
  
   franchise to the Far East.
• 1995: Brinker establishes a strategic partnership with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
• 2000: Norman Brinker steps down as company chairman.
• 2005: Brinker announces international expansion plans.
• 2005: Brinker sells Corner Bakery Cafe
  Corner Bakery Cafe
  Corner Bakery Cafe is a U.S. chain of cafes that specialize in pastries, breads, breakfast dishes, gourmet sandwiches, and salads. Corner Bakery Cafe is considered to be a part of the fast casual market segment of the food service industry, offering a somewhat higher quality of food and atmosphere...
  
  
• 2008: Brinker sells Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The first restaurant was founded by Texas restaurateur Philip J. Romano in Leon Springs, Texas, on April 19, 1988. Brinker International bought the...
  
   a majority stake to Golden Gate Capital Partners
  Golden Gate Capital Partners
  Golden Gate Capital Partners is a private equity firm based in San Francisco, California. The firm makes investments primarily in mature technology companies, as well as other select industries, through leveraged buyout transactions as well as significant minority purchases and growth capital...
  
  
• 2009: Norman Brinker passes away on June 9.
• 2010: Brinker sells On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
  On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
  On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is a chain of Texmex food casual dining restaurants located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and recently opened in Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea...
  
   to OTB Acquisitions LLC an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital Partners
  Golden Gate Capital Partners
  Golden Gate Capital Partners is a private equity firm based in San Francisco, California. The firm makes investments primarily in mature technology companies, as well as other select industries, through leveraged buyout transactions as well as significant minority purchases and growth capital...
  
  

Brinker formerly operated restaurants

• EatZi's
  EatZi's
  EatZi's is a chain of bakery, gourmet takeout markets, and restaurants, created by Philip J. Romano. It was based in Dallas, Texas, and proposes high end products. Two locations in Dallas remain open...
  
  
• Cozymel's Mexican Grill
• Flyer's Island Express
• Big Bowl Asian Kitchen
• Grady's American Grill
• Taco Cabana
  Taco Cabana
  Taco Cabana is a U.S.-based fast food restaurant chain specializing in Tex-Mex cuisine and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carrols Restaurant Group. Taco Cabana is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas...
  
  
• Rockfish Seafood Grill
• Corner Bakery Cafe
  Corner Bakery Cafe
  Corner Bakery Cafe is a U.S. chain of cafes that specialize in pastries, breads, breakfast dishes, gourmet sandwiches, and salads. Corner Bakery Cafe is considered to be a part of the fast casual market segment of the food service industry, offering a somewhat higher quality of food and atmosphere...
  
  
• Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill
  Romano's Macaroni Grill is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The first restaurant was founded by Texas restaurateur Philip J. Romano in Leon Springs, Texas, on April 19, 1988. Brinker International bought the...
  
  
• On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
  On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
  On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is a chain of Texmex food casual dining restaurants located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and recently opened in Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea...
  
  

See also

• Darden Restaurants
  Darden Restaurants
  Darden Restaurants, Inc. is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. The firm owns several casual dining restaurant chains, most notably Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Red Lobster...
  
  
• DineEquity
  DineEquity
  DineEquity is a United States company that both franchises and operates restaurants. Headquartered in Glendale, California, the company was founded originally as IHOP and changed its corporate identity after it acquired Applebee's. On July 16, 2007, IHOP Corp. announced its intent to acquire the...
  
  
• OSI Restaurant Partners