Islands Restaurants
Islands Restaurants is a privately held casual dining chain operating 50+ company-owned "Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks" locations across California and Arizona, serving gourmet burgers, fresh-cut fries, tropical cocktails, and happy hour specials to families, sports fans, and casual diners since 1982.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersRoseville, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Islands Restaurants does
Islands Restaurants is a privately held, full-service casual dining restaurant chain operating under the "Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks™" brand. Founded in 1982 by a West Los Angeles surfer, the company runs approximately 50+ company-owned locations concentrated in Southern California (San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and the Central Coast) with a small Arizona footprint in Phoenix and Avondale. Core menu positioning centers on gourmet burgers, fresh-cut seasoned fries, tropical cocktails (notably Mai Tais), and a Monday–Sunday happy hour program (3:00–6:30 PM, apps from $3, drinks from $3–$8). The legal entity is Islands Restaurants, LLC, domiciled in California with a home office in Carlsbad. The company is led by President Michael Smith.
Revenue is generated primarily through dine-in, takeout, and delivery food and beverage transactions at company-owned locations (transaction-based model), supplemented by three secondary streams: physical and digital gift cards, branded merchandise (apparel and accessories priced via unit pricing, e.g., hats at $18.99), and the "Islands Locals" loyalty program (free enrollment, 1 point per $1 spent, $10 reward per 150 points). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical restaurants plus a proprietary online ordering platform at order.islandsrestaurants.com and native iOS/Android mobile apps. Third-party delivery is enabled at select locations. Distribution is purely domestic, restricted to California and Arizona, with no franchise model disclosed.
The technology stack is described as a standard restaurant point-of-sale and online ordering platform with no disclosed proprietary AI, ML, or API surface; the mobile app supports loyalty accrual via receipt scanning and personalized offers. Customer segments are horizontal and persona-based (general consumers and families, sports enthusiasts, happy hour seekers). The company's stated competitive advantages are 40+ years of brand equity in California, a distinctive Hawaiian/Polynesian-themed menu and atmosphere, and a community-giving program exceeding $500,000 annually in youth and education sponsorships. There is no evidence of institutional ownership, private equity backing, franchisees, or public listing.
Islands Restaurants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Islands Restaurants
- Legal name
- Islands Restaurants, LLC
- Website
- https://islandsrestaurants.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Islands Restaurants is a privately held casual dining chain operating 50+ company-owned "Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks" locations across California and Arizona, serving gourmet burgers, fresh-cut fries, tropical cocktails, and happy hour specials to families, sports fans, and casual diners since 1982.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Islands Restaurants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)
Keywords
Where Islands Restaurants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roseville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices40 records
Markets served
Islands Restaurants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Dine-in, takeout, and delivery sales from restaurant locations featuring burgers, fries, tropical drinks, and alcoholic beverages
- Gift Cards: Physical and digital gift card sales through proprietary platform
- Merchandise: Branded merchandise sales including apparel and accessories
- Loyalty Program: Islands Locals rewards program driving repeat visits through points-based earning and redemption
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour Menu - Discounted apps and drinks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Islands Locals Rewards Program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Apparel and accessories |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Islands Restaurants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Islands Restaurants (dba Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks) operates a chain of 40+ full-service restaurant and bar locations across California and Arizona, serving gourmet burgers, fresh-cut seasoned fries, tropical cocktails, beer, and wine in an island-inspired atmosphere. Offerings extend to dine-in, takeout, delivery, a mobile app-based loyalty program, gift cards, and branded merchandise.
Product overview
Islands Restaurants operates as a full-service restaurant chain under the brand 'Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks', offering a unified dining experience across its California and Arizona locations. The core product is the restaurant and bar service featuring signature burgers, fresh-cut fries, tropical drinks, and happy hour specials. The company complements its dining experience with a digital ecosystem including the Islands Locals Rewards Program (loyalty), mobile app (iOS/Android), and online ordering system. Additional offerings include gift cards (physical and eGift), merchandise, and limited-time beverage programs like hard seltzers. The product portfolio spans in-restaurant dining, bar service, takeout, delivery, and retail merchandise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks (Restaurant & Bar Service) Full-service restaurant and bar offering gourmet burgers, fresh-cut fries, tropical drinks, beer, and wine with dine-in service at 40+ company-owned locations across California and Arizona.
- Islands Food Menu
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving customers for over 40 years with consistent brand experience
Companies that use Islands Restaurants
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Islands Restaurants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Islands Restaurants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Islands Restaurants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fuddruckers: Burger-focused casual dining chain offering made-to-order burgers and a full bar, historically competing with Islands in the gourmet burger casual dining segment.
- Fatburger: Casual dining burger chain with West Coast locations that competes directly with Islands on the gourmet burger, fries, and casual sit-down experience.
- BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse: Casual dining chain with deep California presence combining an extensive menu, full bar, happy hour, and sports viewing — directly comparable in format and target customer to Islands.
- Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews: National casual dining chain specializing in gourmet burgers, bottomless fries, and a full bar — the closest direct comparable to Islands in both menu focus and full-service casual dining format.
- Yard House: Casual dining chain with a large bar program, oversized tap list, and broad American menu — overlapping with Islands' sports bar, happy hour, and casual full-service positioning.
- Claim Jumper: California-rooted casual dining chain with a large full bar menu, happy hour, and family-friendly atmosphere — directly comparable to Islands in geography, scale, and concept.
- The Habit Burger Grill: California-originated better-burger concept with strong presence across California and Arizona, competing with Islands on burger quality and price in overlapping geographies.
Broad incumbents
- Applebee's: National casual dining incumbent with a broad menu, full bar, and happy hour program; competes with Islands in the casual bar-and-grill space though at much greater scale.
- The Cheesecake Factory: Iconic American casual dining chain with a large menu, full bar, and shopping-mall-adjacent real estate strategy; competes with Islands for casual full-service dining occasions at a higher price point.
- Chili's Grill & Bar: Large national casual dining chain with burgers, bar program, and happy hour — operates at broader scale but in the same casual bar-and-grill category as Islands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Islands Restaurants social profiles
Digital presenceIslands Restaurants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Islands Restaurants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Islands Restaurants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Islands Restaurants M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Islands Restaurants
What does Islands Restaurants do?
Islands Restaurants (dba Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks) operates a chain of 40+ full-service restaurant and bar locations across California and Arizona, serving gourmet burgers, fresh-cut seasoned fries, tropical cocktails, beer, and wine in an island-inspired atmosphere. Offerings extend to dine-in, takeout, delivery, a mobile app-based loyalty program, gift cards, and branded merchandise.
Is Islands Restaurants a public or private company?
Islands Restaurants is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Islands Restaurants founded?
Islands Restaurants was founded in 1982. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Islands Restaurants based?
Islands Restaurants is headquartered in Roseville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Islands Restaurants make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards, merchandise and loyalty Program.
Who are Islands Restaurants's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fuddruckers, Fatburger, BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, Yard House, Claim Jumper and The Habit Burger Grill. Broad incumbents are Applebee's, The Cheesecake Factory and Chili's Grill & Bar.
Does Islands Restaurants have an API?
No public API is recorded for Islands Restaurants.
What industry is Islands Restaurants in?
Islands Restaurants's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFACAC, Family-Style Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.