Fuddruckers
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| Type | Casual Dining |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Key people | Philip J. Romano, Michael Cannon |
| Website | Fuddruckers |
Fuddruckers is an American fast casual, franchised, restaurant chain that specializes in hamburgers. It was founded in 1980 in San Antonio, Texas, by Philip J. Romano, in a location converted to a restaurant from an old bank. Fuddruckers has over 260 locations around the world, most of which have a 1950s and 1960s rock and roll theme. The current owner, Michael Cannon, purchased the chain in November 1998. The company's headquarters are located in Austin, Texas.
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[edit] History
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This section requires expansion with: More history of chain. |
Fuddruckers was founded as Freddie Fuddruckers in 1979 by Philip J. Romano in San Antonio, Texas.[1] Romano left the chain in 1988 to found Romano's Macaroni Grill.[1]
[edit] Menu
Fuddruckers is known for its large burger patties (up to one pound) and self-service toppings bar. Customers first order a base burger, either plain or with specialty toppings (like sauces, sautéed onions or guacamole). The burger is then provided open-faced to the customer, who then takes it to the toppings bar and adds fresh vegetables and seasonings. Fuddruckers also offers multiple cheese toppings, including nacho cheese.
Foxwoods Resort Casino's executive sous chef, Scott Ferguson, made one of the largest commercially available hamburgers — weighing 29.6 pounds and costing US$250 — for the Fuddruckers restaurant in the casino. The burger is 18.5 inches wide and 8 inches tall. At one time this was the Guinness World Records-verified world's largest burger; however, that record has since been taken by Bobs BBQ in Thailand.
[edit] Locations
Fuddruckers has expanded out of the United States and now has branches in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The first Fuddruckers in the Middle East was opened in May 1994, by Arabian Food Supplies in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fuddruckers now has 8 branches in Saudi Arabia.
Fuddruckers has one restaurant in Canada, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,[2] which remains popular. Other restaurants were tried in other parts of Canada for several years, all eventually closing. There are currently four restaurants in Puerto Rico. There were also restaurants in Mexico City, but eventually all closed after a few years. Restaurants opened in Australia at a suburban Sydney shopping centre named the Macquarie Centre and at the Eagle Street Pier Precinct in central Brisbane in the mid-1990s[citation needed]; however, both restaurants have since closed.
[edit] Headquarters
The Fuddruckers headquarters is located in southwest Austin, Texas.[3]
Fuddruckers at one time had its headquarters in One Corporate Place in Danvers, Massachusetts.[4][5] Before it moved its headquarters to the current Austin location, Fuddruckers previously had its headquarters in Beverly, Massachusetts.[6] While the main offices were located in Massachusetts, all of the Fuddruckers top executives were located in Austin.[7] By September 2005 the headquarters had moved to Austin. The company spent $1 million to do the move. As a result of the move, it laid off almost 30 employees in Greater Boston.[8]
Within six weeks of the move, the company hired 30 new employees for the Austin headquarters. By September 2005 the company employed 80 people in 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of space in two temporary offices in the Monterey Oaks Corporate Park in southwest Austin. By December of 2005 the company planned to move into about 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2)-17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of space in an adjacent building and turn one of the original Austin facilities into a training center and test kitchen. Matt Pannek, the company's chief financial officer, said that the central location of the headquarters allows the company to more easily communicate with its franchisees across the United States. Pannek also said that the consolidation of offices and employees will allow Fuddruckers to more efficiently operate.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cuff, Daniel F. (1988-11-09). "Founder of Fuddruckers Goes On to Next Course". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/business/business-people-founder-of-fuddruckers-goes-on-to-next-course.html. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ "Fuddruckers locations". http://www.fuddruckers.com/locations.php.
- ^ "Contact us." Fuddruckers. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Welcome to Fuddruckers Home On the Web!" Fuddruckers. March 8, 2000. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Fuddruckers to Open Restaurant in Tulsa, Okla." Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. June 1, 2002. Retrieved on February 27, 2010. "The family-oriented, casual-dining restaurant is the 220th location for Danvers, Mass.-based Fuddruckers Inc.,"
- ^ "Fuddruckers' Contact Page." Fuddruckers. August 19, 2000. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ Hudgins, Matt. "Fuddruckers plans 60 more company-owned restaurants." Austin Business Journal. Friday August 22, 2003. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
- ^ a b Outon, Chantal. "Fuddruckers shifts HQ to Austin." Austin Business Journal. Friday September 16, 2005. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.
