ROSE Group

What ROSE Group does

The Rose Group is a privately held restaurant franchise operator headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, that runs 60+ restaurants across the Mid-Atlantic United States (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). The company operates three distinct restaurant concepts under a multi-brand model: Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar (54-56 casual dining locations — the 69th largest restaurant franchisee in the U.S.), Corner Bakery Cafe (7 fast-casual cafes, where The Rose Group is the first franchisee), and the co-owned Shannon Rose Irish pub concept (2 locations in North Jersey). Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer food and beverage sales at owned locations, supplemented by nominal-cost community fundraising programs including Flapjack Fundraisers (~$2.50 per person) and Dining to Donate (10% of purchases donated to participating nonprofits). The company's go-to-market emphasizes community engagement and local partnerships rather than traditional advertising, with Facebook pages and on-premise events as primary channels.

The Rose Group's technology stack is operational rather than customer-facing: Dayforce HCM for human capital management, an internal Rosnet payroll system, the RG Perks employee benefits portal, and the Great Ideas employee suggestion system. The company has invested in employee-focused programs such as RG Perks (health, wellness, pay, discounts) and The Rose Fund, a 501(c)(3) internal charity that raised over $34,900 and distributed over $50,100 to employees in the past year. There is no mobile app, no public API, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed. The company holds no patents and discloses no proprietary technology beyond franchise-system software.

The Rose Group's customer base is overwhelmingly consumer — families and individuals seeking casual dining experiences — with secondary B2B engagement through nonprofit fundraising partnerships (schools, youth sports teams, churches, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Michener Art Museum). Long-tenured charity partnerships (ALSF since 2005, Michener Art Museum since 2008) and accumulated community engagement ($14.5M+ raised for charity since 2010) function as a soft competitive moat, reinforced by industry recognition including Applebee's Operator of the Year and IFA Spirit of Franchising Gold (both 2019). The company is led by President and CEO Jeff Warden, with founder Harry Rose and a small corporate staff of approximately 13 supporting the multi-unit operation.

Name

ROSE Group

Legal name

The Rose Group

Website

https://rosegroupdining.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Rose Group is a privately held Mid-Atlantic restaurant franchise operator running 60+ Applebee's, Corner Bakery Cafe, and Shannon Rose locations across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, generating revenue through direct consumer food and beverage sales and community fundraising programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Restaurant franchise operations
• Applebee's franchisee
• Fast-casual cafes
• Irish pub restaurants

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices32 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Applebee's Franchise Restaurant Operations: Primary revenue stream from operating Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales directly to consumers at 54-56 restaurant locations.
2. Corner Bakery Cafe Franchise Operations: Revenue from operating Corner Bakery Cafe locations - first franchisee for Corner Bakery with 6 cafes in Eastern Pennsylvania and 1 in New Jersey.
3. Shannon Rose Restaurant Operations: Co-owned and operated Shannon Rose Irish pub and restaurant locations in North Jersey (Clifton, NJ and Woodbridge, NJ)
4. Flapjack Fundraiser Program: Organizations pay approximately $2.50 per person for pancake breakfast events, with organizations keeping ticket sales revenue minus food costs
5. Dining to Donate Program: Applebee's donates 10% of supporters' food and beverage purchases to participating nonprofit organizations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ROSE Group is a family-owned restaurant franchisee operating approximately 60-plus restaurant locations across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania under three brands: 54-56 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar casual dining locations, 7 Corner Bakery Cafe fast-casual locations (in which ROSE Group is the brand's first franchisee), and 2 Shannon Rose Irish pub locations. The company also runs community fundraising programs including Flapjack Fundraisers and Dining to Donate.

Product overview

ROSE Group is a multi-brand restaurant franchise company operating three distinct restaurant concepts: Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar (casual dining, 54-56 locations), Corner Bakery Cafe (fast-casual, 7 locations), and The Shannon Rose (Irish pub, 2 locations co-owned). The company also operates internal employee programs through RG Perks. All brands are concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region: Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Applebee's: Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant franchise operated by The Rose Group in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
• Corner Bakery Cafe
• Shannon Rose
• RG Perks
• The Rose Fund

Products and services

• Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar Casual dining restaurant brand offering American grill and bar fare, operated as a franchise across 54-56 locations in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, serving individual consumers and families.
• Corner Bakery Cafe Fast-casual cafe brand offering breakfast, lunch, and catering across 7 franchise locations, in which ROSE Group is the first franchisee of the brand.
• The Shannon Rose Proprietary Irish pub restaurant concept offering traditional pub fare and beverages across 2 locations in New Jersey.

Quantifiable outcome

• $14.5 million raised for charity since 2010
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Michener Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Sponsorship of Michener Art Museum's Free School Visit Program since 2008. More than 34,000 students and teachers have been admitted FREE under this sponsorship. Extended partnership in 2019. Partnership includes annual golf classic fundraising event.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding supporter since 2005. The Rose Group began their relationship with ALSF in 2005 with 67 restaurants participating. Based on their example, over 1,100 Applebee's restaurants nationwide now participate. They helped raise over $11 million for ALSF over 15 years. The IFA Spirit of Franchising Award included a $5,000 contribution to ALSF.
• Applebee's (Dine Brands Global)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster franchisee operating 54+ Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants. Top-performing franchisee recognized with Operator of the Year and Franchisee of the Year awards. Company participates in system-wide fundraising programs.
• Corner Bakery CafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst franchisee for Corner Bakery Cafe, operating 7 cafes in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• Shannon Rose RestaurantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owns and operates two Shannon Rose Irish pub and restaurant locations in North Jersey (Clifton and Woodbridge).
• The Rose FundcoreOthersInternal 501(c)(3) charity established to provide financial assistance to employees facing catastrophic life events. Raised over $34,900 in contributions and distributed over $50,100 in assistance in the past year.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomin' Brands: Operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's casual-dining concepts. Comparable as a multi-brand casual-dining operator exposed to the same Applebee's-era traffic headwinds.
• Texas Roadhouse: Public casual-dining chain with strong same-store sales performance. Comparable as a competing casual-dining destination against Applebee's, illustrating the sector bifurcation between winning and declining concepts.
• Cracker Barrel: Public casual-dining and retail concept with a regional, community-anchored operating model. Comparable as a casual-dining operator competing for similar family/community dining occasions.
• Dine Brands Global: Franchisor parent of Applebee's and IHOP. Comparable as the brand principal whose strategic decisions (menu, marketing, technology mandates, royalty economics) directly shape Rose Group's operating economics and unit growth options.

Direct peers

• Apple American Group: Among the largest Applebee's franchisees in the U.S. with a multi-state footprint. Direct comparability as a fellow Applebee's franchisee at meaningful scale, competing for franchisor unit allocations and operational awards.
• NPC International: Was the largest Pizza Hut franchisee and also operated Wendy's units prior to its 2020 bankruptcy. Comparable multi-brand restaurant franchisee model; useful as a cautionary precedent for franchisee scale economics and franchisor concentration risk.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: One of the largest U.S. multi-brand restaurant franchisees, operating Applebee's alongside Wendy's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Panera units. Highly comparable multi-brand franchise operator model with similar Applebee's exposure to Rose Group.
• Carrols Restaurant Group: Largest Burger King franchisee in the U.S., operating hundreds of quick-service restaurants. Comparable as a publicly-traded, large-scale, single-brand-concentrated restaurant franchisee facing similar brand-dependency dynamics.
• WKS Restaurant Group: Multi-brand franchisee operating Denny's and El Pollo Loco among others. Comparable as a Western U.S. multi-brand franchise operator with similar sub-100-unit footprint dynamics and franchisor-dependency profile.

Emerging players

• Corner Bakery Cafe (corporate parent): Corporate franchisor of the Corner Bakery Cafe brand that Rose Group operates as the inaugural franchisee. Directly comparable for understanding brand growth trajectory and franchisor economics underpinning Rose Group's fast-casual segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-Rose-Group/164696456877181
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rose-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 ROSE Group