Brio Italian Grille and Bravo! Italian Kitchen (formerly known as Brio Tuscan Grille and Bravo! Cucina Italiana) are American upscale casual dining restaurant chains that specialize in Italian-American cuisine. The chains were established in Columbus, Ohio as Bravo Development, Inc. (BDI) in 1992 by Rick and Chris Doody in collaboration with Executive Chef Phil Yandolino. The company then became Bravo Brio Restaurant Group in 2010 when it went public. In 2018, the company was sold to Spice Private Equity Ltd. and Brio Bravo Restaurant Group was rebranded as FoodFirst Global Restaurants, and is now based in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. Steve Layt is the company's chief executive officer. As of 2023, both chains are now subsidiaries of Earl Enterprises. Brio specializes in Northern Italian cuisine including

bruschetta Bruschetta ( , ) is an Italian appetizer ( antipasto) consisting of grilled bread topped with garlic, olive oil, and salt. Most commonly it is served with toppings of tomatoes, vegetables, beans, cured meat or cheese. In Italy, bruschetta is ...

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

, pasta, steaks, seafood, soup and salad. Bravo! restaurants have a Roman ruin style décor and an open, Italian style kitchen focusing primarily on pastas and pizzas.

History

Bravo Development, Inc. (BDI) was founded in 1992 by Rick Doody, his brother Chris Doody, and Executive Chef Phil Yandolino. Initially, the restaurant group consisted of one brand, Bravo! Cucina Italiana. The first restaurant opened in Columbus, Ohio. Eventually, the restaurant group launched a second similar, but more upscale brand, Brio Tuscan Grille in Columbus as well. In October 2010, BDI went public and became Bravo Brio Restaurant Group (BBRG). Their IPO raised net proceeds of $62.4 million. On May 24, 2018, BBRG was sold to Spice Private Equity Ltd. and renamed FoodFirst Global Restaurants. BBRG sold for about $100 million and their shareholders received $4.05 per share in cash. At that moment, Bravo and Brio managed 110 stores in 32 states, for an estimated sales volume of around 400 million dollars. On April 10, 2020, FoodFirst Global Holdings Inc. filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Middle District of Florida. On June 12, 2020, Earl Enterprises acquired Brio and Bravo from FoodFirst Global Holdings.

Executive Officers

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

- Steve Layt *

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

- Antonio Bonchristiano * CFO - Brian Grusi * Chief Culinary Officer - John Imbriolo

Legal

In 2018, BBRG announced it had settled two lawsuits in 2017 for a total of $5.6 million. A class-action lawsuit filed in Missouri involved 8,000+ former and current employees and the Company settled the case for $4 million. A class-action lawsuit filed in New York involved over 500 employees and the Company settled the case for $1.6 million.

References

{{Reflist Restaurant chains in the United States Italian restaurants Restaurants established in 1992 Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq 1992 establishments in Ohio 2010 initial public offerings 2018 mergers and acquisitions 2020 mergers and acquisitions Private equity portfolio companies Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020