Jillian's
Jillian's is a restaurant and entertainment chain with locations in the United States. Jillian's locations as of December 2009 include the original location in Boston, MA as well as Albany, NY; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; Cleveland Heights, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Manchester, NH; Norfolk, VA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Universal City, CA; Worcester, MA; and Youngstown, OH.
[edit] History
Jillian's was founded in 1985 as a billiards club located near Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The club was "named" for a woman named Gillian Foster, who was then the spouse of the establishment's founder. The couple later founded the chain Lucky Strike Lanes. Within several years, the owners opened another branch in Seattle, Washington. By the early 1990s, it had become a competitor of Dave & Buster's, expanding its locations to include restaurants, video games, bowling alleys, nightclubs, and conference rooms. By 2000, there were roughly 30 locations in the U.S. and one in Montréal, Québec, Canada. In 2004, Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.[1] filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and arranged to sell its assets[2][3]. Nine of the Jillian's locations and the Jillian's tradename were sold to Dave & Buster's. At least some of these locations were eventually converted to operation under the Dave & Buster's name, and some were rebranded as "Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe"[4]. In 2009, D&B, which itself was going through the process of being sold from one venture capital firm to another, sold the rights to the name to Gemini Investors. That company later established JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.[5] to operate these locations.
Four of the locations no longer exist: the location at Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada (which closed in 2008 after also being used as a concert venue) and the location at Peabody Place in Memphis, Tennessee, which shut down in 2009, and the Jillians of Youngstown, Ohio at the Southern Park Mall was closed down on January 30, 2011 but for reasons unknown[6]. The Cleveland Heights, OH location also closed on February 20, 2011 and was converted into Myxx, a tapas bar, by its owner.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ FundingUniverse.com profile of Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
- ^ Dallas Business Journal: Sept 24, 2004-Dave & Busters and Gemini Investors to purchase Jillian's assets
- ^ Houston Business Journal: Oct 8, 2004-Dave & Buster's to turn out the lights on Katy Mills Jillian's
- ^ AllBusiness: Oct 7, 2005-Jillian's Farmingdale location refurbished and rebranded as Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe
- ^ Hoovers profile of JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
- ^ Jillian’s closes in Boardman
- ^ Old Jillian's Space in the Heights Reopens Tomorrow as Myxx, a Tapas Lounge
