Black Angus Steakhouse
Black Angus Steakhouse is an American restaurant chain, specializing in steaks, headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California. The chain was founded April 3, 1964, by Stuart Anderson of Seattle, Washington.[1][2]
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded | April 3, 1964 Seattle, WA |
| Founders | Stuart Anderson |
| Headquarters | Sherman Oaks, California, United States |
Number of locations | 45 (April 2017) |
Key people | Stuart Anderson (founder), Christopher Ames (current CEO) |
| Revenue | $150 million (2017) |
| Owner | Versa Capital Management |
| Website | www |
History
Stuart Anderson founded the Black Angus Steakhouse chain in 1964.[1]
Saga acquired Black Angus in 1972.[3] Marriott acquired Saga in 1987, and sold several of the Saga restaurants to American Restaurant Group.[4]
In 1995, the chain had 101 restaurants and reported revenue of $244 million.[5] In 1999, the overall parent company's profits were steady at $104.7 million, but higher for the Black Angus chain.[6]
By 2001, there were 103 Black Angus restaurants in 13 states, and each restaurant had approximately 75 employees and served an average of 3,000 customers weekly.[1] By 2004, the number had fallen to 93 Black Angus and Cattle Company restaurants in 10 states, with 57 units in California.[7]
In September 2004, American Restaurant Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for Black Angus Steakhouse. Black Angus was indebted approximately $202 million and had in 2003 reported revenue of $276.6 million resulting in a net loss of $32.5 million. The bankruptcy proceeded concurrently with an effort to re-brand and remodel the chain.[8]
On January 15, 2009, American Restaurant Group itself filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[9] Black Angus Steakhouse was purchased by Versa Capital Management Inc. in March 2009.[2]
On June 6, 2016, Stuart Anderson died of lung cancer at age 93 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.[10]
As of April 2017, there are 45 Black Angus locations, with 31 in California.
In popular culture
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Black Angus had a television ad campaign featuring "Travis", a grizzled cowboy encouraging numerous urbanites to dine at the restaurant. Comedian Patton Oswalt poked fun at the ads' apparent aggressiveness in a well-known humorous riff included on his 2003 album Feelin' Kinda Patton.
In The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Skeptic", Bart asks if they are dressing up to go to Black Angus.
In Dawson's Creek episode "Home Movies", Pacey asks if the Dalai Lama has been spotted at Black Angus.
On season 33, episode 165 of Jeopardy!, "Black" was the answer to the clue "Cooking Steak Since 1964, ______ Angus."
References
- Renee Canada (November 1, 2000). "Black Angus founder will discuss hiring". Archived San Jose Mercury News. The Campbell Recorder. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- Mai Hoang (April 18, 2010). "Steakhouse celebrates four decades (Section header)". Yakima Herald-Republic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- "Restaurateur Stuart Anderson: He's out to pasture but not happy about it". Ellensburg Daily Record. 1996-09-15. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- Newport Beach Firm Acquires Restaurant Chains from Marriott
- "Offers for Black Angus". Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1996. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- "Profits Steady at Restaurant Group". Los Angeles Times. August 5, 1999. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- Julie Tamaki (September 29, 2004). "Steakhouse Owner to Reorganize". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- Andrew F. Hamm (April 1, 2005). "Black Angus beefs up image as it readies bankruptcy exit". San Jose Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- "Owner of Black Angus Steakhouse files for bankruptcy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
- Robert Jablon (2016-06-08). "Black Angus Steakhouse founder Stuart Anderson dies at 93". Seatlepi. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2016-07-04. Retrieved 2016-07-04.