Levy Restaurants

Levy Restaurants is a restaurant franchise company based in Chicago specializing in providing premium-quality vending and food services to major entertainment and sports venues. It is a unit of Compass Group, and was founded in 1978.

It operates 95 foodservice locations in 41 markets throughout the US and Canada. In 2004, company revenue exceeded $470 million, and was projected to exceed $600 million in 2005. [ [http://www.levyrestaurants.com/Levy/AboutLevy/NewsRoom/PressKit/Levy+Restaurants+Fact+Sheet.htm Levy Restaurants Corporate Fact Sheet 2005] . "Levy Restaurants". ] The company owns several restaurants and fine dining locations in addition to its entertainment venue holdings.

History

The company was founded by Larry Levy, a Jewish man originally from St. Louis. In 1978, Levy founded his company in Chicago, and serves as the Chairman of the Board. The first property was D.B. Kaplan's Delicatessen in Chicago's Water Tower Place. [ [http://www.levyrestaurants.com/Levy/AboutLevy/NewsRoom/PressKit/levyheritage.htm Levy Restaurants History and Heritage 2005] . "Levy Restaurants." ] In 1982, the company pioneered the concept of fine dining in stadiums and arenas with award-winning restaurants and foodservice locations at Chicago's Comiskey Park (home of the Chicago White Sox) and again in 1985 in Chicago's Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs.) In 1989, the company was selected by The Walt Disney Company to own and operate two locations inside their world famous Walt Disney World Resort, Portobello Yacht Club and Fulton's Crab House. Levy was also a partner in the former Wildhorse Saloon location at Walt Disney World. The Portobello Yacht Club's has consistently been voted best Italian restaurant in Orlando. Fulton's Crab House has achieved one of the top ten sales volumes of any restaurant in the United States. In 1994 they added their first location outside Chicago. The company also created and implemented the WOCAAT training philosophy.

Locations

Their sports and entertainment division manages convention facilities, concert and performance venues and arenas for all major sports leagues. They currently manage food service operations inside the STAPLES Center and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL, Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Chase Field in Phoenix, and the Rogers Centre in Toronto, among many others nationwide. They also manage all food service operations inside McCormick Place in Chicago, the nation's largest convention center, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois and multiple establishments inside Disney World in Orlando. Levy manages all food service operations for Churchill Downs in Louisville, the host of the Kentucky Derby. This year, the company successfully managed all food service operations for the 2008 Ryder Cup at the Valhalla Golf Club.

References

* [http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=20671&bt=Levy+Restaurants&arc=n&searchType=phrase Chicago Business: May 18, 2006 Levy Restaurants to operate food services at Sears Centre]
* [http://www.hoovers.com/levy-restaurants,-inc./--ID__44625--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Hoover's - Levy Restaurants]
* [http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/07/03/story1.html St. Louis Business Journal, June 30, 2006 - Koplar, Levy set new table - Destination restaurant to anchor $20 million project in Central West End, by Lisa R. Brown]
* [http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/01/16/daily10.html Pittsburgh Business Times. January 17, 2006, Levy Restaurants selling out to British firm]

External links

* [http://www.levyrestaurants.com/public/ Levy Restaurants] Official site
* [http://www.cgnad.com/default.asp?action=article&ID=39 Compass Group - Levy Restaurants]