Ground Round facts for kids

The Ground Round is an American restaurant chain. It started in 1969 in Massachusetts. The company Howard Johnson's created it. They wanted to use it to improve some of their older restaurants. It also opened new locations on its own.

The Ground Round became very important for Howard Johnson's. This happened after the 1973 oil crisis caused problems for their other businesses. By 1985, The Ground Round had 215 restaurants. Then, it became a separate company.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, The Ground Round faced challenges. Its look seemed old compared to new restaurants like Chili's and Applebee's. Its menu also had too many items. The company also had a lot of debt from being sold many times. This made it hard to update the restaurants.

In 2004, the company had big financial problems. It had to close about 60 of its restaurants. A group of franchise owners then bought the chain. These owners were from Freeport, Maine. At that time, The Ground Round had 71 locations. Since then, the number of restaurants has become smaller. In 2025, there were five locations. Four were in the Midwest and one in Massachusetts.

The Ground Round's Story

The Ground Round started in 1969. Howard Johnson's created it as a chain of pubs. These pubs had a simple menu. The idea was to change older Howard Johnson's places. It also used existing restaurant buildings.

After the 1973 oil crisis, The Ground Round became very important. The company had to focus on local people instead of travelers. By 1975, there were 64 Ground Round restaurants. This was more than their other concept, Red Coach Grill.

Fun Times at The Ground Round

In the 1970s and 1980s, The Ground Round was famous for its kids' parties. They showed silent movies and cartoons on a big screen. They also had a mascot named Bingo the Clown. Customers could also get peanuts and drop the shells right on the floor!

Changes and Challenges

The Ground Round had four different owners in 22 years. When Howard Johnson's was sold in 1985, Imperial Group kept The Ground Round. Its main office moved to Weymouth, Massachusetts. In 1986, Hanson Group USA bought Imperial. Three years later, International Proteins Corporation bought The Ground Round for $93 million. At that time, it had 215 locations.

However, the restaurant chain faced problems. Its simple menu had grown to over 200 items. The restaurants and their decorations looked old. The company lost customers to new places like Chili's and Applebee's. The many changes in ownership meant money went to paying off debt. This money could have been used to update the restaurants. Things like free peanuts and popcorn were stopped or reduced to make the chain seem more modern.

In 1997, Boston Ventures Management bought The Ground Round. Sales were slow in the casual dining world. Chili's and Applebee's were spending more on advertising. The Ground Round also had more debt after this sale. In 2000, they tried to restart the company. They made a new design for restaurants. They also cut the menu from 300 items to 80. But the company still struggled. This was because some sales of restaurants did not happen.

Financial Troubles and New Ownership

On February 13, 2004, The Ground Round's lenders stopped giving them money. That day, almost half of all Ground Round restaurants closed suddenly. The company that managed the franchises, American Hospitality Concepts, had to file for bankruptcy on February 19. This meant they had serious financial problems.

Many people were surprised by the sudden closures. Even customers were caught in the middle of their meals. Franchise owners were also shocked. The restaurants owned by franchisees stayed open. These places were usually doing better than the company-owned ones. But sales still dropped because people thought all Ground Round restaurants had closed.

A group of franchise owners decided to buy the company. They formed the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC. They managed to save the company. After the bankruptcy, The Ground Round had 71 locations. Sixty-four of these were part of the cooperative.

In 2011, the Independent Owners Cooperative paid off its loans from the 2004 purchase. In 2012, a new location opened in New Jersey. It was connected to a bowling alley. By 2013, there were 27 restaurants. The company wanted to open more places outside its usual areas. Most of the remaining restaurants were in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

By 2021, there were 15 locations. The Ground Round tried again to grow. They planned a new restaurant inside a Best Western hotel in Waterloo, Iowa. Many locations from Missouri to New York state have closed. This happened as owners retired or sold their buildings.

As of August 2024, there were four Ground Round restaurants in the U.S. Three were in North Dakota and one in Ohio. In 2024, Joseph and Nachi Shea bought the rights to the Ground Round name. The existing locations continue to operate under a license. They also announced plans for a new location in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. This restaurant opened in January 2025. A previous Ground Round was in Shrewsbury until 2004. Joseph Shea used to visit it when he was a child. The new restaurant announced it would give out popcorn instead of peanuts. This is due to allergy and fire safety rules.