Sizzler

Infobox_company
type= Restaurant
company_name=Sizzler
foundation=1958
location=Culver City, California
company_
key_people=Del and Helen Johnson (founders)
industry=restaurants
products=steak, seafood, salads
homepage= [http://www.sizzler.com/ Sizzler] Sizzler (founded in 1958) is a United States-based restaurant chain with headquarters in Culver City, California, serving steak, seafood, and salad (from a large salad bar), as well as similar items.

History

The chain was founded in 1958 as Del's Sizzler Family Steak House by Del and Helen Johnson in Culver City, California. [ [http://www.chainleader.com/franchise-developer/profile.asp?id=35 Sizzler USA Franchise, Inc. | http://chainleader.com] ] The chain is composed of more than 270 locations throughout the U.S. [ [http://www.sizzler.com/aboutsizzler/ourhistory.html Sizzler.com - Our History] ] . Most of Sizzler's U.S. locations are in the west.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sizzler promoted mainly steak and combination steak dinners with the optional salad bar. The restaurant wanted to give the customer the feel of a full-service restaurant, but at a price just slightly more than that of a fast food chain. To keep costs down, many of the restaurants had their own in-house meat cutters where they would cut their own steaks and grind their own hamburgers. Heading into the mid 1980s competition began to appear from other casual-dining restaurants. After promotions such as "All-you-can-eat" fried shrimp, the chain decided to expand its popular salad bar into a full buffet promoted as the "Buffet Court". Patrons began to use the buffet as their meal instead of an add-on to an entree. In response Sizzler began to lower the quality of food in other areas of the menu.cite web|title=Cast in a New Light |url=http://www.chainleader.com/archives/2006/09/sizzler.asp|author=Norris,Maya|date=2006-09-01|accessdate=2007-01-01|publisher= [http://www.chainleader.com Chain Leader] ] Customers took notice and Sizzler's reputation suffered. Sizzler filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996 and closed 140 of 215 stores. They reemerged from chapter 11 in 1997. During the late 1990s new management upgraded the quality of food but also increased prices. Sizzler's revenue flat-lined, and 21 locations were closed in 2001. Sizzler began an image makeover around 2002. A new restaurant concept was created featuring a lighter and more open dining room. The changes were accompanied with a new menu. In an effort to return to their roots, steaks, seafood, and the salad bar are now being reemphasized while the all-you-can-eat buffet is being phased out.

Sizzler also has restaurants throughout the world including Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand. In January 2008, Sizzler announced it was planning to take action against the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) of Urbandale, Iowa over the use of the name "Sizzler" for its tripler, which began that month (when the option is selected by the player, any prize(s) won, except the jackpot, is/are tripled) in the US Hot Lotto game. (In North Dakota, the multiplier is called "Triple Sizzler".) Because of this development, Idaho, which ironically is a home to the steakhouse, did not immediately offer the "Sizzler" tripler option.(Montana and New Mexico are the other states with both Hot Lotto, and the steakhouse chain.)

Sizzler owns the Pat and Oscar's restaurant chain in southern California.

It has recently been announced that Sizzler Australia now owns all of the USA Sizzler's.

Photos

Food safety

In 2006, all 28 Sizzler restaurants across Australia suspended salad bar service after rat poison was found in two restaurants. [ [http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,18310848-1702,00.html Police seek Sizzler rat poison victim] ] Sizzler Australia referred to the incidents as "sabotage". [http://www.sizzler.com.au/content/files/downloads/media%20statement.pdf] The culprit turned out to be a mentally unstable woman from Brisbane. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sizzler-woman-too-sick-for-court/2006/03/02/1141191778546.html Sizzler woman too sick for court] ]

In 2000, over 60 people became ill and a young girl died in an outbreak of that originated at a Sizzler restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Health officials said that the likely source of contamination was meat supplied by the Excel Corporation meat packer. They believe that cross contamination to other food items occurred when Sizzler employees handled the meat very near areas where salad bar items were prepared. [ [http://www2.jsonline.com/news/metro/aug00/ecoli26082500a.asp Beef grinder close to salad prep area, official says] ] This was similar to an outbreak in Washington state and Oregon in 1993. In the 1993 case, as in 2000, the tainted meat apparently came from Excel, and contaminated salad bar items. [ [http://www.about-ecoli.com/ecoli_outbreaks/news/cross-contamination-caused-outbreak/ Cross contamination caused outbreak] ]

Pop culture references

* In the 1985 film "The Goonies", Chunk is on the phone with the sheriff attempting to get him to the Fratellis' hideout when the sheriff recalls a past tale that Chunk told: "Yeah, like that time you told me about the fifty Iranian terrorists who took over all the Sizzler steakhouses in the city."
* On a second season episode of the TV show (1991) "Seinfeld", Kramer is at a hospital and says, "They have a great cafeteria downstairs. Hot food, sandwiches, saladbar. It's like Sizzler opened up a hospital!"
* On an episode of Australian sketch comedy series "Fast Forward", Sizzler restaurants were parodied as Gobblers Family Restaurants
* In the 1992 film "White Men Can't Jump", Sidney (Wesley Snipes) promises Junior (Kadeem Hardison) that they'll go to Sizzler after he beats Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) in a jump-shot contest. During the contest, Junior starts taunting Billy by chanting, "We goin' Sizzler! We goin' Sizzler!"
* In the 1995 film "Heavyweights", the character Josh, after being sent home from camp by Tony Perkis, eats a meal at a Sizzler, and after arriving back at camp, mentions this to one of the other characters: "First I went to the Sizzler, got that all-you-can-eat meal. I closed the place."
* In the 1996 film " The Nutty Professor", Reggie Warrington (Dave Chappelle) cracks a satirical joke on Buddy Love (Eddie Murphy) saying, "Your mother is so fat, she went to Sizzler's and the bitch got a group discount!" Ironically, this was a reference to Mrs. Klump, whom Buddy Love does not seem to be affiliated with.
* In "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Albuquerque", the narrator achieves his lifelong dream by getting a part-time job at a Sizzler. He also gets awarded Employee of the Month after he puts out a grease fire with his face.
* In the "Jamie Foxx Show", after Jamie and his co-star/girlfriend Fancy have reconciled after a long fight about a birthday present, Jamie promises to take Fancy to "some place really fancy", she replies, "Really?" To which Jamie responds, "Sizzler", then everyone laughs.
* In the 1996 film "Carpool", Tom Arnold's character is unable to prevent his mother from patronizing a Sizzler restaurant. Her abuse of the "all-you-can-eat" meal results in a police standoff.
* In the 1998 film "Slums of Beverly Hills", Al Arkin's character considers Sizzler gourmet food, repeatedly exclaiming "Ok, let's go to the Sizzler."
* In several episodes of "Family Matters", the characters talk about going to Sizzler as a "fancy" meal.
* Sizzler is mentioned several times in "Full House" episodes, including one in which Joey Gladstone is said to have pranked Danny Tanner while there.
* Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt has said that she is a huge Sizzler fan.
* In "Ghostbusters II" when Egon, Ray, and Winston go to pick up Peter prior to investigating the sewer wearing full rubber hazmat gear and galoshes, Peter surmises that they are on the way to "All you can eat, barbecue rib night at the Sizzler".
* In "Happy Gilmore", Joe Flaherty's character, Donald, offers Shooter McGavin a meal at the Sizzler.
* In the "Scooby-Doo" movie, Shaggy sees a feast on a table in a presumed-to-be-haunted castle and remarks that it's "like a Medieval Sizzler!"
*In an episode of "Saved by the Bell", Lisa's father exclaims "Let's go to the Sizzler!" after Lisa confesses to spending excessively on his credit card, in an attempt to console her guilt.
*In the animated sitcom "The Oblongs", Milo said that the salad bar cart from the Sizzler kept rolling away.
*In an episode of "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air", Hilary accuses Uncle Phil of leaving her at the Sizzler when she was a baby. Also in another episode, Will says he will not be able to go to Sizzler after Geoffrey wins the card game he set up in the backyard.
*In an episode of "Roseanne", Roseanne says that a celebration at La Sizzler is called for after Bev gives her and Jackie $10,000.
*In an episode of "Two and a Half Men", Jake said that "the ancient Romans had a place called a vomitorium where people could eat as much as they wanted, puke, and then eat some more.", and Berta said: "Well, just like the Sizzler."
*In an episode of "The Parkers", Kim wakes up to see a buffet of food prepared by Nikki and exclaims "I died and went to Sizzlers."
*In the Bloodhound Gang song "Three Point One Four", the restaurant is mentioned in the lyric "I want my next chick anorexic, the winner is the thinner. Won't have to take her skinny ass out to a fancy dinner like Sizzler."
* In the 2008 film "21", Kevin Spacey's character states that a member of their blackjack team left because he got a job at Google; when asked why, if the team was making so much money, the person would leave, Spacey's character replied, "I said "Google," not Sizzler."
* In a 1994 episode of Cops, a man in a purple tank is taken down for accosting a Sizzler steakhouse employee. The man had been at the Santa Fe, New Mexico location for 11 hours, and was found to be taking advantage of the "all you can eat" shrimp. He was also on PCP. The arresting officer was B. Arbeque.
* On an episode of "King of the Hill", Peggy is going through one of the neighbor's trash and exclaims: "Look who's too good to use a Sizzler coupon."

References

External links

* [http://www.sizzler.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.sizzler.com.au Sizzler - official website in Australia]
* [http://www.sizzler.com.sg/ Sizzler - official website in Singapore]
* [http://www.sizzler.jp/ Sizzler - official website in Japan]