What Hillstone Restaurant Group does

Hillstone Restaurant Group, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned operator of upscale full-service restaurants in the United States. Founded in 1977 by George Biel and his wife Carol with the opening of the first Houston's in Nashville, Tennessee, the group has grown to operate 45+ restaurants under 15 distinct brand names, including the flagship Hillstone and Houston's concepts, regional grills (Cherry Creek Grill, East Hampton Grill, Los Altos Grill, Palm Beach Grill, Rutherford Grill, South Beverly Grill, Woodmont Grill), specialty concepts (Bandera Corona del Mar, Gulfstream, R+D Kitchen), and bar and tavern concepts (Honor Bar, White House Tavern). Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona (2710 East Camelback Road, Suite 200), the company employs between 5,001 and 10,000 people across regions spanning the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, West Coast, Florida, and Arizona, targeting affluent adult diners seeking upscale casual dining experiences. Each restaurant is designed to complement its local market character with signature dishes such as the Grilled Chicken Salad and Thai Steak Salad anchoring consistent culinary standards (fresh-squeezed juice, bottled soda, Certified Angus Beef).

The underlying operational stack is deliberately non-technological: there is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no public API or SDK, and no AI/ML infrastructure disclosed. Distribution and customer interface run through 15 individual brand websites, an in-house careers portal, and a Shopify storefront for gift cards. The company maintains voluntary Title III ADA compliance for website accessibility, conducts periodic audits, and supports screen-reader and keyboard-only navigation. Talent infrastructure includes an eight-week hands-on management training program, a Culinary Management Program with operating and Executive Chef tracks, and a paid three-month summer internship for penultimate-year undergraduates, providing a structured internal pipeline that has supported long-tenured executive continuity under founder George Biel.

Hillstone's business model is direct-to-consumer full-service dining: revenue is generated per-cover at owned physical locations with menu pricing varying by location and not publicly disclosed, and cashless payment is preferred at most locations. A multi-brand gift card program (physical and electronic, shipped via FedEx or USPS) provides a small cross-brand prepaid revenue channel. The company is incorporated in Arizona under the legal name Hillstone Restaurant Group, Inc., has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no institutional investors, no disclosed funding rounds, and no franchising or licensing arrangements. Geographic expansion has been deliberate and capital-light: the group has remained wholly owned since 1977, with growth driven entirely by new-unit openings in premium U.S. submarkets.

Name

Hillstone Restaurant Group

Legal name

Hillstone Restaurant Group, Inc.

Website

https://hillstone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Hillstone Restaurant Group is a privately held, family-owned operator of 45+ upscale full-service U.S. restaurants across 15 distinct brands. Founded in 1977 by George Biel, it serves affluent adult diners with quality American cuisine in regionally inspired settings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Upscale Casual Dining

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

Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Upscale casual dining
• Full-service restaurants
• American cuisine
• Restaurant group operations
• Private dining experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Beverly Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Full-service restaurant dining across 15 restaurant brands offering upscale American cuisine including steaks, burgers, entrée salads, and other dishes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Hillstone Restaurant Group operates a collection of 15 upscale casual dining restaurant brands across the United States, serving full-service American cuisine such as steaks, burgers, entrée salads, and regionally inspired dishes. The group also offers gift cards redeemable at any of its locations and runs structured restaurant management and culinary training programs.

Product overview

Hillstone Restaurant Group operates a portfolio of 15 restaurant brands under a unified hospitality-focused model. The collection includes upscale dining concepts (Hillstone, Houston's), regional grills (Cherry Creek Grill, East Hampton Grill, Palm Beach Grill, Rutherford Grill, Los Altos Grill, Woodmont Grill, South Beverly Grill), specialty concepts (Bandera Corona del Mar with southwestern cuisine, Gulfstream, R+D Kitchen), bar concepts (Honor Bar), and White House Tavern in Aspen. The group also offers gift cards valid across all locations and structured career development programs including restaurant staff positions, management training, culinary management, and summer internships. Founded in 1977 by George Biel, the company remains privately held and family owned, with locations spanning regions including Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Florida, Kansas City, Chicago, New York, California, and Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hillstone Upscale casual dining restaurant offering steaks, burgers, entrée salads, and flexible dining options in inspired settings; serves adult diners seeking quality cuisine and gracious service.
• Houston's Full-service restaurant originally opened in Nashville as the first Hillstone concept, now operating across multiple U.S. regions.
• Bandera Corona del Mar Southwestern regionally inspired restaurant featuring regional cuisine for adult diners.
• Cherry Creek Grill Grill restaurant located in the Cherry Creek area, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• East Hampton Grill Grill restaurant in the East Hampton region, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• Gulfstream Restaurant concept operated by Hillstone Restaurant Group, featuring American cuisine.
• Hillstone at Bal Harbour Hillstone Restaurant Group location in Bal Harbour offering full-service upscale dining.
• Honor Bar Bar concept operated by Hillstone Restaurant Group, including locations at Highland Park Village in Dallas.
• Los Altos Grill Grill restaurant in Los Altos, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• Palm Beach Grill Grill restaurant in Palm Beach, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• R+D Kitchen Restaurant concept operated by Hillstone Restaurant Group, featuring American cuisine with a contemporary approach.
• Rutherford Grill Grill restaurant opened in 1994 in the heart of Napa Valley, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• South Beverly Grill Grill restaurant in South Beverly, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• White House Tavern Restaurant located in Aspen, featuring American cuisine, operated as part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group portfolio.
• Woodmont Grill Grill restaurant operated by Hillstone Restaurant Group.
• Hillstone Gift Cards Physical and electronic gift cards redeemable at any Hillstone Restaurant Group location, sold through the company's Shopify storefront and shipped via FedEx or USPS.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Darden Restaurants: Darden is the largest publicly traded multi-brand full-service restaurant operator in the US, owning Capital Grille, Eddie V's, Ruth's Chris, and Seasons 52. It is comparable to Hillstone as a diversified upscale and full-service restaurant portfolio operator with national scale.
• Landry's Inc. Landry's is a Tilman Fertitta-owned hospitality and restaurant conglomerate operating upscale steakhouses (Mastro's, Morton's), casual concepts, and entertainment venues. It is comparable as a multi-brand upscale dining operator with broader hospitality diversification than Hillstone.

Direct peers

• Bloomin' Brands: Bloomin' Brands operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. It is directly comparable as a multi-brand full-service and upscale-casual restaurant group with similar geographic spread across the US.
• Brinker International: Brinker operates Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy, two full-service concepts spanning casual and upscale-casual dining. It is comparable to Hillstone's multi-brand full-service model, though more casual-leaning.
• The Cheesecake Factory: The Cheesecake Factory operates upscale-casual, full-service restaurants with an expansive menu and premium dining room experience across more than 200 US locations. It is directly comparable to Hillstone as an upscale-casual, full-service operator targeting affluent adult diners.
• Eddie V's Prime Seafood: Eddie V's is a Darden-owned upscale seafood and steakhouse chain with locations in major US cities and a similar upscale-casual positioning to Hillstone's grill and steak concepts.
• Ruth's Chris Steak House: Ruth's Chris is an upscale steakhouse chain operating across the US, directly comparable to Hillstone's steak and grill brands in terms of menu positioning, price point, and affluent adult diner target customer.
• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises: Lettuce Entertain You is a privately held Chicago-based multi-concept restaurant group operating dozens of upscale-casual and fine dining brands. It is closely comparable to Hillstone as a privately held, multi-brand upscale restaurant operator with national presence.
• BJ's Restaurants: BJ's Restaurants operates a publicly traded chain of upscale-casual pizzerias and brewhouses across the US. It is comparable to Hillstone as an upscale-casual, full-service operator targeting affluent family and adult diners.
• Del Frisco's Restaurant Group: Del Frisco's operates Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Del Frisco's Grille, and Sullivan's Steakhouse. It is directly comparable to Hillstone as an upscale steakhouse and grill operator serving affluent diners across major US markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hillstonesf
• Facebookfacebook.com/HillstoneRestaurantGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillstone-restaurant-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hillstone Restaurant Group