The story
Founded by Rich Melman in 1971.1
The first restaurant, R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park, opened on June 10, 1971. It is still in operation, as of 2026.
The company lists nine original partners: Bill Higgins, Melman, Bill Frost, Bob Wattel, Charles Haskell, Orzoff, Marvin Magid, Danny Koval and Fred Joast. By 1976 the company had 5 restaurants and a band called Fresh Lettuce. The partners continued expanding the company's network of restaurants. By the mid-1980s, the company employed over 2,000 people and had annual revenues of $40 million. Since its founding the company has opened 130 restaurants, with 70 concepts.
The restaurants vary in price, theme, and cuisine. LEYE currently owns, licenses or manages more than 100 establishments in Illinois, California, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Nevada, including Wildfire, Petterino's, RPM Italian, RPM Steak, Beatrix, Oyster Bah, Shaw's Crab House, and Everest. Also among its creations are two restaurants in the Paris Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the Eiffel Tower and Mon Ami Gabi (an expansion of the flagship location in Chicago), Big Bowl, and L2O.
IN 2000, LEYE had 38 partners, 45 concepts, and 4,000 employees. It owns, operates and licenses 90 restaurant venues in the United States. It has separate restaurant consulting and restaurant development companies. The food court at Water Tower Place is among its operations. 1999 annual revenue estimates ranged from $145 to over $200 million. 2005 revenue estimates were $300 million, with 5000 employees and approximately $50 million in net earnings.
The Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants annual revenue was $541.2 million in 2025.
From Wikipedia’s article on Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5