The Loop Restaurant
The Loop Restaurant is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual chain founded in 1981 in Jacksonville, Florida, operating 14 franchised and company locations across Northeast Florida and North Carolina. It serves families and community diners with flame-grilled burgers, artisan pinsas, salads, and hand-dipped shakes, plus catering, gift cards, and exclusive Uber Eats delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersJacksonville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Loop Restaurant does
The Loop Restaurant Group, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1981 by Mike and Terry Schneider in San Marco, Jacksonville, Florida. The company operates and franchises 14 locations across Northeast Florida (10 units including Jacksonville, Amelia Island, Fleming Island, Fruit Cove, Ponte Vedra, and St. Augustine) and North Carolina (4 units in Durham, Chapel Hill, Kernersville, and Winston-Salem). It serves individual consumers, families, church groups, and seniors with a menu of flame-grilled burgers, artisan pinsas (pizzas), gourmet salads, sandwiches, and hand-dipped shakes, supported by kid's meals, senior discounts, and loyalty programs.
The underlying technology is intentionally thin: no proprietary platform has been disclosed, and operations rely on third-party integrations including Hazlnut for online ordering, Uber Eats under an exclusive delivery partnership announced December 2024, and EZ Cater for catering logistics. Supporting products include a static nutritional calculator, gift cards sold through a dedicated web portal, and catering services for corporate events and parties. The chain differentiates on hand-crafted preparation, neighborhood-hub atmosphere, gluten-free and customization options, and the registered "LoopLove" community engagement program.
The business model combines restaurant-level sales (dine-in, carryout, curbside, delivery, catering) with franchise economics: a $35,000 initial franchise fee per unit, ongoing 3% local advertising and 1% national advertising fund contributions on gross receipts, and multi-unit area development agreements for expansion. A significant share of recent growth has been driven by multi-unit franchisees — notably Angelina and Maurilio Gonzalez, who operate five of the 14 locations — indicating a capital-light expansion posture under founder/family control.
The Loop Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Loop Restaurant
- Legal name
- The Loop Restaurant Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://thelooprestaurant.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Loop Restaurant is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual chain founded in 1981 in Jacksonville, Florida, operating 14 franchised and company locations across Northeast Florida and North Carolina. It serves families and community diners with flame-grilled burgers, artisan pinsas, salads, and hand-dipped shakes, plus catering, gift cards, and exclusive Uber Eats delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Loop Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast-Casual Dining
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)
Keywords
Where The Loop Restaurant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jacksonville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices15 records
Markets served
The Loop Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in and Carryout Sales: Revenue from in-restaurant dining and carryout orders at 14 locations across Florida and North Carolina.
- Delivery (Uber Eats): Exclusive partnership with Uber Eats for delivery services. Customers order through Uber Eats app and receive meals delivered fresh to their homes.
- Catering: Catering services including boxed lunches, party platters, pizza, burger bars, salads, wraps, soups, and desserts for events. Coordinated through individual location contact or EZ Cater platform.
- Franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue: Initial franchise fee of $35,000 per unit plus ongoing royalty contributions (3% local advertising, 1% national advertising fund from gross receipts). Multi-unit franchise and area development agreements available.
- Gift Card Sales: Gift cards sold through the company website at thelooprestaurant.webgiftcardsales.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Single Loop Franchise |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Multi-Unit Franchise / Area Development |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Ongoing Royalty Requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Loop Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Loop Restaurant operates a fast-casual restaurant chain serving flame-grilled burgers, artisan pizzas (pinsas), gourmet salads, and hand-dipped shakes across 14 company-owned and franchise-operated locations in Northeast Florida and North Carolina. Beyond dine-in and carryout, the business provides catering services for events, gift cards sold through its own e-commerce portal, and a franchise licensing program offering single-unit and multi-unit area development agreements.
Product overview
The Loop Restaurant is a fast-casual dining chain offering a unified restaurant experience built around flame-grilled burgers, artisan pizzas (pinsas), gourmet salads, and hand-dipped shakes. The core product operates across 14 physical restaurant locations in Florida and North Carolina. Supporting products include a Nutritional Calculator tool for allergen tracking, catering services for events, gift cards, and a franchise program for expansion. The company uses third-party platforms (Hazlnut for online ordering, Uber Eats for delivery, EZ Cater for catering) to extend its service capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Loop Restaurant (Dine-in & Carryout) Fast-casual restaurant chain serving flame-grilled burgers, artisan pizzas (pinsas), gourmet salads, and hand-dipped shakes via dine-in, carryout, and curbside at 14 locations. Designed for local consumers, families, church groups, and tourists in Northeast Florida and North Carolina.
- Catering Services Full-service catering offering boxed lunches, party platters, pizza bars, burger bars, and salad selections for corporate events, gatherings, and parties. Includes vegetarian and vegan options, with orders coordinated via individual location contact or the integrated EZ Cater platform.
- The Loop Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards purchased through the company's own e-commerce portal (thelooprestaurant.webgiftcardsales.com), redeemable for dine-in, carryout, delivery, or catering at all 14 Loop locations.
- The Loop Franchise Program Franchise licensing program offering single-unit and multi-unit/area development rights to open and operate Loop restaurants in the U.S. Includes training, site selection, marketing support, and operational systems. Initial franchise fee $35,000 plus 3% local + 1% national advertising fund royalty; total investment $431,400-$754,300 per unit; 20-year term renewable in 10-year terms.
Companies that use The Loop Restaurant
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Loop Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
The Loop Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Uber EatscoreThe Loop Restaurant formed an exclusive partnership with Uber Eats to offer delivery and takeout services. This collaboration addresses the demand for home dining by giving customers access to the restaurant's menu delivered to their homes. The partnership includes promotional offers such as '$20 off orders of $30 or more' with promo code 20OFFLOOP. Uber Eats' technology including real-time tracking and customized order options enhances the customer experience. The CEO Mike Schneider described it as a model for how restaurants and delivery services can adapt and succeed.
- City Rescue MissioncoreThe Loop partners with City Rescue Mission in Jacksonville, FL to support their life-building programs combating drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, and hunger. The Loop sells Charis Chocolates (made by City Rescue Mission) with profits going directly to the mission's outreach programs. This is tied to the company's Max's Story initiative raising awareness about substance abuse. The partnership was established to help shed light on local addiction recovery resources.
- EZ CaterminorEZ Cater is integrated on each location page as a catering ordering platform, allowing customers to easily order catering services for events and parties.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Loop Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Smashburger: Smashburger is a multi-unit fast-casual chain focused on smashed-style burgers with similar menu breadth (burgers, salads, shakes, sides). Comparable in target customer, price point, and franchise-based unit growth.
- Steak 'n Shake: Steak 'n Shake is a long-standing American chain built on burgers and hand-dipped milkshakes — a near-identical menu and customer proposition to The Loop. Comparable on heritage brand status, casual dining experience, and milkshake-led differentiation.
- Five Guys: Five Guys is the most direct competitor to The Loop in the burger-focused fast-casual space, with a similar menu emphasis (burgers, fries, shakes), counter-service model, and franchise-driven multi-unit expansion. Comparable in customer demographic and dine-in/carryout operating model.
- Wayback Burgers: Wayback Burgers is a franchise-driven fast-casual burger chain with a similar regional-to-national expansion strategy, comparable menu (burgers, shakes, hot dogs), and a target market of families and community diners. Direct peer along franchise model and unit count.
- Shake Shack: Shake Shack is a publicly-traded upscale fast-casual chain with a near-identical menu structure (burgers, hand-spun shakes, crinkle fries) and intensely loyal customer base. The Loop's hand-dipped shakes and award-winning burgers position it at the same brand-experience level, though at a smaller scale.
- BurgerFi: BurgerFi is a smaller-scale, NASDAQ-listed fast-casual burger chain with comparable menu (burgers, fries, shakes, hot dogs) and a franchise growth model. Closest publicly traded comparable to The Loop in scale, menu mix, and unit economics.
- MOE'S Southwest Grill: MOE'S is a franchise-driven fast-casual chain with a similar menu breadth concept (burgers, salads, customizable menu), similar dine-in/carryout/delivery mix, and a comparable family- and community-oriented brand identity. Strong unit-count and franchise model parallel.
Broad incumbents
- Panera Bread: Panera Bread is a national fast-casual incumbent offering soups, salads, sandwiches, and bakery items. Comparable in the salad/sandwich portion of The Loop's menu and in customer demographic (families, lunch patrons), though Panera operates at a much larger scale.
Regional players
- PDQ: PDQ is a Tampa-based fast-casual chain (chicken-focused) with strong Florida roots. Comparable as a Florida-headquartered fast-casual player focused on fresh, hand-prepared food, though menu is centered on chicken tenders and sandwiches rather than burgers.
Emerging players
- Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly-traded salad-focused fast-casual chain with strong digital ordering infrastructure and a similar customer demographic (health-conscious, customization-driven diners). Relevant peer for The Loop's gourmet salad offering and digital ordering strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Loop Restaurant social profiles
Digital presenceThe Loop Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Loop Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
The Loop Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Loop Restaurant 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 The Loop Restaurant
What does The Loop Restaurant do?
The Loop Restaurant operates a fast-casual restaurant chain serving flame-grilled burgers, artisan pizzas (pinsas), gourmet salads, and hand-dipped shakes across 14 company-owned and franchise-operated locations in Northeast Florida and North Carolina. Beyond dine-in and carryout, the business provides catering services for events, gift cards sold through its own e-commerce portal, and a franchise licensing program offering single-unit and multi-unit area development agreements.
Is The Loop Restaurant a public or private company?
The Loop Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Loop Restaurant founded?
The Loop Restaurant was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Loop Restaurant based?
The Loop Restaurant is headquartered in Jacksonville, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Loop Restaurant make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Dine-in and Carryout Sales are the primary driver. The others are delivery (Uber Eats), catering, franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue and gift Card Sales.
Who are The Loop Restaurant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Smashburger, Steak 'n Shake, Five Guys, Wayback Burgers, Shake Shack, BurgerFi and MOE'S Southwest Grill. Panera Bread is listed as a broad incumbent. PDQ is listed as a regional player. Sweetgreen is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Loop Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Loop Restaurant.
What industry is The Loop Restaurant in?
The Loop Restaurant's product category is Fast-Casual Dining. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAA, Burger Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFABAF, Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls). Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5810.