Definition

A restaurant Concept is the overall idea or theme that defines the multi-unit restaurant brand. This includes things like the menu’s design, service style, dining room decor, and the style of food offered.

A restaurant Company is simply any business that controls single- or multi-unit restaurant locations. These units may or may not be associated with one or more restaurant Concepts.

It’s important to note the subtle yet important distinction between Concepts and Companies. A single restaurant Concept may also be identified as a similarly-named Company. A restaurant Company may be nothing more than a collection of several multi-unit Concepts. A correct understanding of the similarities and differences will be crucial for account assignment and territory management.

Examples

Here are a few examples to help you understand how Restaurantology uses the terms Concept and Company:

• Brinker International is a multi-unit Company that owns both Chili’s, a 1281*-unit FSR restaurant Concept, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, a 54*-unit FSR restaurant Concept.
• Landry’s Inc. has roughly 550* restaurant units made up of nearly 40 different multi-unit Concepts (some larger, some smaller), as well as additional single-unit restaurants not belonging to multi-unit brand.
• MML Hospitality is a 14*-unit Company comprised almost entirely of non-Concepted restaurants.
• P. Terry’s Burger Stand is a 21*-unit restaurant Concept that does not belong to any identifiable parent company (LLC) and therefore is assumed to be its own operating entity.

Note: All unit counts were verified at the time this article was written and are subject to change.