Sizzler

The chain was founded in 1958 as Sizzler Family Steak House by Del and Helen Johnson in Culver City, California. At its peak, the chain was composed of more than 270 locations throughout the US. Another source claimed as many as 700 locations in the US during the 1990s. Most of Sizzler's US locations are in the West.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sizzler promoted steak and combination steak dinners with an optional salad bar. The restaurant wanted to give customers the feel of a full-service restaurant at a price slightly more than a fast food chain. To control costs, many restaurants had in-house meat cutters who would cut steaks and grind beef.

Into the early to mid-1980s, competition appeared from Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse. After promotions such as all-you-can-eat fried shrimp, the chain expanded its salad bar into a full buffet promoted as the "Buffet Court". Patrons began to use the buffet as a meal instead of an add-on to an entree. In response, Sizzler lowered the quality of other menu items. Customers took notice, and Sizzler's reputation suffered.

Sizzler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996 ("to escape costly leases on unprofitable restaurants"), and closed over 130 of its locations. The company reemerged from Chapter 11 in 1997. During the late 1990s, new management upgraded the quality of food and increased prices. 21 locations closed in 2001. Sizzler began an image makeover around 2002. A new restaurant concept was created, featuring a lighter and more open dining room. The changes were accompanied by a new menu. In an effort to return to its roots, Sizzler emphasized steaks, seafood, and the salad bar. While the all-you-can-eat buffet was phased out in some locations, it remained in others.

In the 1990s, Sizzler ran upscale locations with the Buffalo Ranch Steakhouse brand.

Sizzler was sold to Pacific Equity Partners, an Australian-based investment firm, in 2005. In January 2008, Sizzler announced it was planning to take action against the Multi-State Lottery Association over the use of the name "The Sizzler (Hot Lotto)".

In June 2011, Sizzler USA announced that a US management group led by the Sizzler CEO would buy the American portion of the chain of 178 restaurants from Pacific Equity Partners, with the remaining 100 restaurants located outside of the United States remaining with Pacific Equity Partners. The headquarters initially remained in Culver City, where the chain was founded, but moved to Mission Viejo in 2012.

Sizzler launched its "ZZ" food truck in 2012 to expand sales and test market new dishes.

Following Sizzler USA's separation from Sizzler International in 2011, all locations outside the United States were operated or licensed by Australia-based Collins Foods. In 2023, Collins sold its Sizzler business and intellectual property to Thailand-based Minor International.

Japan

The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Japan is Royal Holdings Co., Ltd., a Fukuoka-based food service company. Royal Holdings opened the first Japanese Sizzler steakhouse in 1991. By August 2021, Royal Holdings had 10 Sizzler restaurants in Japan.

Thailand

The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Thailand is Minor Food Group via a subsidiary called SLRT Limited. Minor opened its first Thai Sizzler steakhouse in 1996. By 2001, Minor had 19 Sizzler restaurants throughout Thailand.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company experimented with the use of robotic waiters in the dining room in December 2020 to minimize physical contact between customers and restaurant staff. After the Thai government loosened COVID-19 dine-in restrictions in September 2021, Sizzler Thailand was able to reopen 54 of its 60 restaurants for dine-in. Two months after reopening, the Thai franchise announced expansion plans of trying to open three to five new restaurants per year over the next three years. The franchise also announced plans of installing more robot food delivery systems within each restaurant, which would minimize contact between dine-in customers and restaurant staff, which would in turn lessen the potential transmission of COVID and other diseases.