Grill Marks

What Grill Marks does

Grill Marks is a privately held gourmet burger and milkshake restaurant chain operating in South Carolina, founded in September 2012 in Downtown Greenville under parent company Larkin's Restaurants (established by Mark and Larkin Hammond in 1998). The concept operates three locations: Downtown Greenville, Haywood Mall in Greenville, and The Vista in Columbia, with 68 total employees, and serves individual consumers and families seeking a differentiated casual-dining burger experience in the Upstate and Midlands regions of South Carolina.

The menu centers on chef-driven burgers, hand-spun milkshakes, and accompanying sides, with revenue generated primarily through dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders across the three stores. Supporting the core restaurant operation, Grill Marks runs a catering service for events and group orders and has integrated third-party digital infrastructure — Toasttab for online ordering and POS, Bite Squad for delivery, and Constant Contact for email marketing — to broaden its sales channels beyond the four walls of each restaurant.

The business model is a multi-unit regional QSR/casual-dining hybrid relying on per-transaction consumer spend, with no franchising, licensing, or external capital disclosed. Growth has been executed via direct company-owned store openings rather than acquisition or partnership models, and stated plans target additional South Carolina markets including Easley, Simpsonville, Greer, Clemson, and Charleston.

Name

Grill Marks

Legal name

Larkin's Restaurants

Website

https://grillmarks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Grill Marks is a privately held gourmet burger and milkshake restaurant chain operating three company-owned locations across South Carolina (Downtown Greenville, Haywood Mall, and The Vista in Columbia), serving individual diners, families, and catering customers through dine-in, takeout, and delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Gourmet burgers
• Hand-spun milkshakes
• Casual dining restaurants
• Catering services
• Craft beer bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in and Takeout Sales: Core revenue from burger, shake, and bar sales at three physical restaurant locations. Customers can order online via Toasttab platform or dine in. The company also offers online ordering for pickup.
2. Catering Services: Customizable catering packages including boxed lunches, slider trays, salads, and chicken tenders for events and groups.
3. Third-Party Delivery (Columbia Only): Columbia location partners with Bite Squad for third-party delivery services. Downtown GVL and Haywood Mall do not use third-party delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grill Marks operates a casual gourmet burger and milkshake restaurant chain across three South Carolina locations. Its core menu features handcrafted signature burgers with unique flavor combinations, hand-spun milkshakes including signature FreakShakes, specialty fries with paired sauces, and an award-winning bar program of wines, craft beers, and cocktails. The company complements its dine-in business with customizable catering packages (slider trays, boxed lunches, salads, chicken), online ordering via Toast Tab, and limited third-party delivery.

Product overview

Grill Marks is a gourmet burger and milkshake restaurant chain operating three locations in South Carolina (Downtown Greenville, Haywood Mall Greenville, and The Vista Columbia). The core offering centers on handcrafted burgers with unique gourmet toppings, hand-spun milkshakes including elaborate FreakShakes, and signature fries. The restaurant complements its food menu with award-winning wines, craft beers, and cocktails. Catering services provide customizable packages including various slider trays, boxed lunches, salads, and chicken items. Online ordering is available through Toast Tab with limited third-party delivery options. The company is part of Larkin's Restaurants, founded by Mark and Larkin Hammond in 2012.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gourmet Burgers Signature handcrafted burgers featuring unique flavor combinations including Smash it burger, El Gringo, Hawaiian burger, Beer Cheese burger, Cafe Au Poivre, and custom build-your-own options. Made with high-quality ingredients and served on specialty buns for individual consumers and families seeking premium casual dining experiences.
• Hand-Spun Milkshakes Gourmet milkshakes including signature FreakShakes with elaborate toppings and adult milkshakes with boozy options. Featured shakes include Cookies and Cream Dirt and various seasonal varieties for individual consumers and families.
• Signature Fries & Sides Variety of fries including Parmesan Truffle fries (noted as best in Greenville), sweet potato fries, skinny fries, and fat style fries, each paired with specific dipping sauces. Also includes fried pickles and other sides for individual diners and groups.
• Alcoholic Beverages Award-winning wines, edgy craft beers on tap, and classic cocktails. Also features boozy milkshake options for adult libations, served to individual diners at all three restaurant locations.
• Slider Trays (Catering) Catering packages featuring various slider combinations including BYO Slider Tray ($50.00), Signature Slider Tray (Firehouse, BCB, Hawaiian varieties), Greenville Hot Honey Slider Tray ($39.99), Classic Slider Tray ($49.99), and Un-burger Slider Tray ($60.00) with chicken and salmon options. Designed for businesses and groups ordering catering for events and gatherings.
• Mark's Boxed Lunch Individual boxed lunch priced at $18.99 featuring Mark's Burger with American Cheese, pickles, mustard and ketchup, served with a side of skinny fries and a milkshake. Designed for individual catering orders, office lunches, and group events.
• Catering Salads

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ToasttabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToasttab is the online ordering and point-of-sale platform used by Grill Marks. Customers can order online for pickup from all three locations through Toasttab. The platform also handles gift card sales.
• Bite SquadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBite Squad provides third-party delivery services for the Columbia location only. Downtown GVL and Haywood Mall locations do not use third-party delivery services.
• Larkin's RestaurantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrill Marks is part of the Larkin's Restaurants hospitality group founded by Mark and Larkin Hammond in 1998. The group operates multiple restaurant concepts including Larkin's on the River, Limoncello, and Bay Front Bar & Grill. Grill Marks is managed under this umbrella company.
• Haywood MallcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaywood Mall in Greenville hosts one of three Grill Marks locations in Suite 2023b, providing retail foot traffic and customer access.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Premium burger chain with full bar, hand-spun shakes, and emphasis on gourmet toppings. Closest comparable concept on dine-in, full-bar, premium-ingredient positioning.
• BurgerFi: Premium burger chain with hand-crafted Angus burgers, frozen custard, and beer/wine. Comparable fast-casual sit-down format with upscale ingredient story.
• The Habit Burger Grill: Charburger-focused casual chain with shakes and a bar program. Comparable brand-led positioning around a signature burger category.
• Shake Shack: Public gourmet burger and shake chain with full bar program. Closest direct peer — overlapping menu (burgers, crinkle fries, shakes), casual-but-polished service model, and bar-led dinner daypart.
• Five Guys: Largest U.S. burger QSR/limited-service chain; competes on burger quality, customization, and milkshakes. Most comparable footprint scale to Grill Marks' three units but at national scale.
• Steak 'n Shake: Long-standing burger and hand-spun milkshake chain with dine-in and counter formats. Directly comparable on the milkshake heritage and casual dining format.
• Smashburger: Multi-unit gourmet-smash burger chain with regional mall and street-front locations. Directly comparable site selection strategy (downtown + mall) and burger-forward menu.
• Bobby's Burger Palace: Celebrity-chef-driven gourmet burger concept with shakes. Comparable brand-led gourmet burger counter-service model.

Broad incumbents

• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers: National casual-dining chain whose entire menu and brand sit on gourmet burgers, fries, and shakes. Comparable in core category but broader full-casual-dining experience.

Regional players

• Cheeseburger Bobby's: Small regional gourmet burger chain. Same scale and unit count as Grill Marks — directly relevant comparable for a 3-unit South Carolina concept eyeing multi-unit growth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grillmarks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/grillmarks
• Facebookfacebook.com/grillmarksofficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/grillmarksofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grill-marks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Grill Marks