Not to be confused with BJ's Wholesale Club.
BJ's Restaurants, Inc.
Public
Former nameBJ's Chicago Pizzeria
Traded as
S&P 600 component
Trade name
  • BJ's Grill
  • BJ's Pizza & Grill
  • BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery
  • BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
Industry
GenreCasual dining
Founded1978 (age 48), in Santa Ana, California, US
Founders
  • Jim Kozen
  • Leonard Allenstein
Hq location cityHuntington Beach, California
Hq location countryUS
Num locations215 (2022)
Key peopleGreg Levin (CEO and president)
Area servedUnited States
ProductsAmerican food
ServicesCatering
Num employees21,200 (2021)
RevenueUS$1.283 billion (2023)[1]
Net incomeUS$19.660 million (2023)[1]
Operating incomeUS$13.759 million (2023)[1]
AssetsUS$1.058 billion (FY 2023)[1]
EquityUS$365.761 million (FY 2023)[1]
Websitewww.bjsrestaurants.com

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. is an American restaurant chain, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California.[2][3] The chain operates under the names BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ's Grill, and BJ's Pizza & Grill.

History

BJ's was founded in 1978 by Jim Kozen and Leonard Allenstein.[4] It first opened in Santa Ana, California, as BJ's Chicago Pizzeria.[5] The original name was BJ Grunts, but due to a federal trademark conflict with RJ Grunts, a Chicago-based hamburger restaurant, the name was changed.[6] Shortly after the opening of the first restaurant, Mike Phillips and Bill Cunningham bought 50% of the company for $14,000.[citation needed] Kozen and Allenstein left the group after the opening of the seventh store.[7][8] Phillips and Cunningham sold the company to their accountants Paul Motenko and Jerry Hennessy in 1991.[9][8]

Originally known as Chicago Pizza, the company went public in 1996, raising $9.4 million.[10] The company then bought 26 Pietro's Pizza restaurants in March 1996 in a $2.8 million deal in cash and assumed debt, but then sold off seven of the locations with plans to convert the remaining Pietro's to what was then BJ's Pizza.[10] During the same year, the company opened a microbrewery at its Brea restaurant.[11]

Between 2010 and 2011, the National Retail Federation named it one of the 10 fastest-growing restaurants in the US based on year-over-year sales.[12]

In 2013, BJ's produced a combined total of 60,000 barrels annually at their 11 brewery restaurants to serve their chain of 136 restaurants in 15 states.[13] In 2010, the company's BJ's Hefelightzen was awarded a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival.[14] In 2021, Greg Levin was appointed to CEO.[15] As of December 2022, BJ's operated 215 restaurants in 29 states.[16]

Offerings

BJ's menu features pizza, beers, appetizers, entrees, pastas, sandwiches, salads, and desserts (including the signature Pizookie).[17] Some locations feature microbreweries that supply beer to other locations in the chain.[3]

Awards and recognition

At the 2006 Great American Beer Festival, BJ's Big Fish IPA achieved a gold medal within the American-style Strong Pale Ale classification. Its design draws inspiration from the Piranha Pale Ale, which secured a silver medal in 2002. In a similar vein, BJ's Jeremiah Red earned a silver medal in the strong ales category during the same festival in 1996. The Belgian-style wheat beer from BJ's has been honored with a Gold Medal by the North American Beer Awards.[11]

References

  1. ^ "BJRI Financials". Nasdaq. January 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Company Overview of BJ's Restaurants, Inc.". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  3. ^ Hampson, Tim (2008). The Beer Book. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 23. ISBN 978-1405333016.
  4. ^ Alvarado, Jocelyn (September 23, 2012). "Best of Orange County: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse". Orange County Register
  5. ^ Alvarado, Jocelyn (September 23, 2012). "Best of Orange County: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse". Orange County Register
  6. ^ "Casual Dining And Drinks At BJ's Brewery". SanctuaryBrewCo. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  7. ^ Jacobson, Max (September 29, 1994). "Restaurants : BJ's Dishes Pizza That Pans Out". Los Angeles Times
  8. ^ Chang, Andrea (May 5, 2010). "BJ's takes a bigger slice of casual-dining market". Los Angeles Times
  9. ^ Luna, Nancy (December 22, 2008). "BJ's Restaurants co-founders leave pizza chain". Orange County Register
  10. ^ Rose, Michael (November 17, 1996). "BJ's Pizza to revamp Pietro's with breweries, remodeling". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  11. ^ Bloom, Earl (January 21, 2013). "BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse". Orange County Register
  12. ^ Luna, Nancy (August 2, 2012). "BJ's pizza among 10 fastest-growing chains". Orange County Register
  13. ^ Morgan, Jason (August 16, 2013). "Brewpub Files: BJ's Restaurants crafts brand quality across its restaurants". Craft Brewing Business
  14. ^ "BJ's Restaurants Wins Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival". NBC News. September 28, 2010.
  15. ^ "BJ's names Greg Levin to succeed Gregory Trojan as CEO". Nation's Restaurant News. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  16. ^ "BJ's Restaurants, Inc. to Participate at the 2022 Stephens Annual Investment Conference". investors.bjsrestaurants.com. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. November 2, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "BJ's Restaurants". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-04-08.