| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | Huntington Beach, CA (2003) |
| Founder | Chris Simms, Gabe Caliendo, Steve Price, and Roshan Mendis |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa, California, United States |
| Number of locations | 48 restaurants (2024) |
| Area served | United States (California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, Virginia) |
| Owner | Brentwood Associates |
| Website | www |
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. As of April 27, 2024, Lazy Dog operates 48 restaurants across eight states: California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia and Virginia.
The restaurant's name was originally going to be Rocky Mountain Cafe. However, Lazy Dog Cafe received its unique name because Chris Simms, its founder, believed that the restaurant was "too serious" and wanted to make it more "kid-friendly". Chris Simms's father and partner in the business, Tom Simms, founded and later sold the popular restaurant chain Mimi's Cafe. The restaurant's seats have dog prints so that "kids would feel welcome".
In August 2003, a new restaurant was opened by Chris Simms in Westminster, California. It is decorated with photographs and drawings of hounds. The restaurant has an "eclectic" menu, including pizza and Kung Pao chicken.
In July 2013, Brentwood Associates, a private equity buyout group purchased Lazy Dog at an undisclosed price. In a 2019 restaurant review, Daily Herald critic Jennifer Billock wrote, "On the whole, we had an excellent time at Lazy Dog. The atmosphere was comfortable, service was great, and we liked the food." In a 2017 restaurant review, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reviewer Robert Philpot said, "The extensive menu, more than anything else (well, more than anything besides the desserts), is what will get us to return: There's a lot to try here. The dog-friendliness of the patio makes the restaurant attractive to dog lovers, but it will be even more appealing if the restaurant and Euless can work things out so that the restaurant can serve a dog menu."
References
- "Lazy Dog Restaurants". lazydogrestaurants.com. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- Luna, Nancy (2007-05-04). "Q & A with Lazy Dog Café founder Chris Simms". The Orange County Register. Freedom Communications. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- "Lazy Dog Cafe". Pizza Marketing Quarterly. 2005-03-30. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- Luna, Nancy (2007-04-27). "Lazy Dog in pack of upscale casual eateries". The Orange County Register. Freedom Communications. Archived from the original on 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
- Lemons, Stephen (2003-10-23). "Dog Day Cafe". OC Weekly. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- Shieber, Jonathan (2013-07-29). "Family Dinner Turns Into a Deal as Brentwood Backs Lazy Dog". Dow Jones & Company. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18.
- Billock, Jennifer (2019-02-13). "Lazy Dog Vernon Hills offers seasonally inspired dining with a mountain-town vibe". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). Archived from the original on 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- Philpot, Robert (2017-01-18). "First bite (and bark): Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar in Euless". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-02-07.