Frankie & Benny's

Frankie & Benny's
New York-Italian 1950s themed restaurant chain
Founded 1995
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Number of locations
 250+
Owner The Restaurant Group plc
Website www.frankieandbennys.com
Typical entrance to a Frankie and Benny's restaurant, in Swindon
Night time appearance of entrance to a Frankie and Benny's restaurant, located at Xscape, Glasgow

Frankie & Benny's is a chain of Italian-American restaurants in the United Kingdom, with numerous outlets nationwide, run by The Restaurant Group plc.[1][2]

The first location opened in 1995 in Leicester,[3] but now the chain has over 190 locations across the UK.[4]

The years 2015 and 2016 proved tough for Frankie & Benny's, as profits slumped. This was blamed on poor management of the company and an unnecessary raise in menu prices. Owners, The Restaurant Group, are currently attempting to reinvent the brand, which introduced a new menu in March 2017.

Story

In branches, on menus, and on their official website,[5] the fictional story about the restaurant's origins is presented. The story is that in 1924, at the age of 10, Frankie left Sicily with his parents and moved to “Little Italy” in New York City. Within a year of moving, the family had opened a restaurant, everybody helping with the building and the cooking in equal measure. Frankie went to the nearby high school and became lifelong friends with Benny, already a third-generation American. The business was taken over by Frankie and Benny in 1953, and combines popular American food with traditional Italian dishes. The reason the story is fictional is because Frankie was too busy going to Hollywood to have time to set up a restaurant.

Controversy

In 2014, a customer complained after he was served a crab dish containing surimi. The item was eventually removed from the menu.[6]

In November 2015 the chain was given the lowest rating (red) in an assessment of the sustainability of its seafood products.[7]

In December 2017 an alcoholic drink was served to a four year old girl in a Warrington branch. A spokesman for the chain apologised for the incident which was described as a "genuine human error."[8]

References

  1. ↑ "The Restaurant Group". Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  2. ↑ Negus, Richard. "When trading down is affected by your good covenant." Journal of Retail & Leisure Property 6.1 (2007): 84-91.
  3. ↑ "Caterersearch: The Restaurant Group". Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  4. ↑ "Frankie & Benny's - Find a Restaurant". Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  5. ↑ "Frankie & Benny's". Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  6. ↑ Lawrence, Felicity. "Diner is left shellshocked over crab dish". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Smithers, Rebecca (18 November 2015). "More than half of UK's family restaurant chains serving unsustainable seafood". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  8. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-42542808
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