The Capital Grille is an American

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

of upscale

steakhouse A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse is a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as fish and other seafood. History Choph ...

s owned by

Darden Restaurants Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Darden has more than 1,800 restaurant locations and more than 175,000 employees, making it the world's largest full-service restaurant c ...

. The brand has locations in twenty-five

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, and

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. There are 63 locations, including one location in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

History

The original Capital Grille was founded by Ned Grace, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, in 1990. The opening was curious for several reasons: the upscale steakhouse contrasted with the then-rundown downtown area of Providence, and the opening occurred amid an ongoing recession. Grace envisioned the restaurant being popular with business and political elite, and his ideas proved to be accurate. Seven years after opening, the original location pulled in over $4 million in annual sales. Under the leadership of Grace's Bugaboo Creek Steak House Inc. (the name of Grace's other chain), the chain expanded to several major markets. By 1996, The Capital Grille had locations in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. In 1997, aided by a $20 million credit line from two banks, it expanded with four more locations. Bugaboo Creek Steak House Inc. went public in 1994, and later changed its name to RARE Hospitality International, Inc. According to ''The Washington Business Journal'', the chain was acquired by Darden Restaurants as a "part of a $1.19 billion acquisition of RARE Hospitality in 2007". The Capital Grille operates under the Specialty Restaurant Group division of Darden. In March 2018, a spinoff restaurant called The Capital Burger was opened in Washington, DC. In January 2020, The Capital Burger opened their second location in

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Rest ...

Lawsuit

In 2012, employees in five states filed lawsuits against the company alleging

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their Race (human categorization), race, ancestry, ethnicity, ethnic or national origin, and/or Human skin color, skin color and Hair, hair texture. Individuals ...

and wage violations. The lawsuit alleges that the company favored white workers over people of color for lucrative tipped jobs as well as requiring tipped workers to share their earnings with non-tipped workers.

Thanksgiving controversy

In 2013, the Capital Grille in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

was open for Thanksgiving for the first time in its history. Capital Grille employees at the Pittsburgh location and members of the

Restaurant Opportunities Center The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) is a not-for-profit organization and worker center with affiliates in a number of cities across the United States. Its mission is to improve wages and working conditions for the nation's low wage ...

protested having to work on Thanksgiving without receiving holiday pay. In addition, the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council sys ...

passed a resolution opposing Capital Grille's decision to force employees to work on Thanksgiving without holiday pay.

References

External links

*
Darden Restaurants, Inc. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capital Grille Companies based in Orlando, Florida Restaurants established in 1990 Darden Restaurants brands Restaurant chains in the United States Restaurant franchises Steakhouses in the United States 1990 establishments in Rhode Island 2007 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1990