Spell Restaurant Group

What Spell Restaurant Group does

Spell Restaurant Group, LLC is a privately held, family-owned multi-brand restaurant operator founded in 2004 by father-daughter co-owners Rick Spell and Christy Spell Terry. The company owns and operates nine restaurant establishments across two distinct markets: six locations along Florida's Highway 30A corridor (Seacrest Beach, Inlet Beach, Rosemary Beach, and Alys Beach) and three in Memphis, Tennessee. The portfolio spans a wide range of concepts and price points, including upscale coastal dining (George's at Alys Beach), fine-dining-feel beach restaurants (Edward's), chef-driven sports bars (Shades Bar & Grill with 28 screens), sushi and cocktail bars (Shaka), Latin-inspired restaurants (LaCo in Florida and BABALU® in Memphis), Spanish tapas (La Crema Tapas & Chocolate), and a legacy sports bar and live music venue (Brookhaven Pub & Grill, founded 2002). Revenue is generated through dine-in food and beverage sales, takeout, private event hosting, catering services, and an e-gift card program.

The group functions as a holding entity rather than a unified product platform: each restaurant operates under its own brand identity, POS, and website, with separate product pages such as shades30a.com, lacrematapas.com, and eatbabalu.com. The underlying technology stack is conventional hospitality infrastructure — Squarespace for the corporate site, Heartland POS for gift card e-commerce, and a UserWay accessibility widget — with no proprietary software, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed data assets. The company has grown almost entirely through acquisitions (Brookhaven 2004, George's and LaCo 2015, La Crema 2016, Edward's 2017, BABALU 2019, Shades and Shaka in April 2023) and is preparing its first ground-up expansion with Shades Bar & Grill at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach, Florida, scheduled for late summer 2026.

Commercially, Spell Restaurant Group serves four primary customer segments: local residents of the 30A corridor and Memphis neighborhoods, tourists and vacationers visiting the Emerald Coast and Memphis, sports and entertainment seekers, and event hosts booking private dining or catering. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer through physical restaurant locations. Marketing relies on earned media (Southern Living, Business Insider, Condé Nast Traveler, Garden & Gun, 30A Food & Wine), an email newsletter, and the corporate website. Spell Restaurant Group has no institutional investors, no public listing, and no disclosed funding rounds; its growth has been internally financed by the Spell family.

Name

Spell Restaurant Group

Legal name

Spell Restaurant Group, LLC

Website

https://spellrestaurantgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spell Restaurant Group is a privately held, family-owned multi-brand restaurant operator founded in 2004, running nine distinct restaurants across Florida's Highway 30A corridor and Memphis, Tennessee, serving local residents, tourists, sports fans, and event hosts with dine-in, catering, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Brand Restaurant Operations

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Caterers (722320)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Restaurant operations
• Multi-brand restaurants
• Private dining events
• Catering services
• Sports bar dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Direct-to-consumer restaurant sales including dine-in, takeout, and catering services across nine establishments. Revenue generated from food menu items, alcoholic beverages, and private event bookings.
2. Private Events and Catering: Private event hosting and catering services offered at multiple SRG restaurants including Edward's, George's, LaCo, Shades, Shaka, BABALU, and Brookhaven.
3. Gift Cards: E-gift cards sold for use at Spell Restaurant Group establishments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Spell Restaurant Group owns and operates a portfolio of nine restaurant establishments across Florida's 30A corridor (LaCo, Shaka, La Crema, Shades, Edward's, George's) and Memphis, Tennessee (BABALU's two locations and Brookhaven Pub & Grill), offering diverse cuisines including sushi, tapas, Latin-inspired, upscale coastal, and sports bar formats. The group supplements restaurant operations with private event hosting, catering services at select locations, and a brand-wide Spell Restaurant Group e-gift card program. A new Shades Bar & Grill location at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach is planned for late summer 2026.

Product overview

Spell Restaurant Group operates a portfolio of nine restaurant establishments across Florida's 30A Highway corridor (six locations) and Memphis, Tennessee (three locations). The company functions as a multi-brand restaurant group rather than a unified product platform. Each restaurant operates under its own distinct brand identity, cuisine focus, and location: LaCo (Latin-inspired coastal), Shaka (sushi and cocktails), La Crema (Spanish tapas and chocolate), Shades Bar & Grill (sports bar), Edward's (fine dining beach), George's at Alys Beach (upscale coastal), BABALU® (Latin-inspired), and Brookhaven Pub & Grill (sports bar/entertainment). The group also offers private events and catering services at select locations and an e-gift card program. A new Shades Bar & Grill location at Grand Boulevard is planned for late summer 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• George's at Alys Beach: Upscale casual restaurant bringing regional coastal fare infused with global flavors to Alys Beach, Florida
• La Crema Tapas & Chocolate
• LaCo
• Shades Bar & Grill
• Shaka Sushi & Cocktail Bar
• Edward's
• BABALU®
• Brookhaven Pub & Grill

Products and services

• LaCo Latin-inspired restaurant with a coastal twist, featuring specialty dishes prepared from scratch using fresh ingredients. Located in Seacrest Beach, Florida between Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach along 30A Highway. Serves dine-in customers, tourists, and locals.
• Shaka Sushi & Cocktail Bar Laid-back sushi and cocktail bar in Inlet Beach, Florida, serving sushi rolls, sashimi, nigiri, small plates, cocktails, and sake. Named after the Hawaiian hand gesture meaning 'hang loose.'
• La Crema Tapas & Chocolate Tapas restaurant inspired by the flavors and passion of Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. Located in Rosemary Beach, Florida.
• Shades Bar & Grill Chef-driven sports bar and grill in Inlet Beach, Florida featuring creative dishes with fresh ingredients, draft beer, and 28 screens for sports viewing. Named to Yelp's Top 100 Family-Friendly Restaurants list in 2025.
• Edward's Restaurant in Rosemary Beach, Florida offering a vibrant and entertaining setting with fine dining quality service and cuisine in a relaxed beach atmosphere.
• BABALU® Latin-inspired chef-driven restaurant prepared from scratch using fresh ingredients, featuring house-made margaritas, sangria, and cocktails. Operates two locations in Memphis, Tennessee.
• George's at Alys Beach Upscale casual restaurant in Alys Beach, Florida bringing regional coastal fare infused with global flavors, using locally sourced, organic produce and the freshest seafood.
• Brookhaven Pub & Grill Premier sports bar and live music venue in Memphis, Tennessee, in operation since 2002. Features a fully stocked bar, two spacious patios, and 17 screens for sports viewing. Founding establishment of Spell Restaurant Group.
• Private Events and Catering Private event hosting and catering services offered at multiple Spell Restaurant Group restaurants including Edward's, George's, LaCo, Shades, Shaka, BABALU, and Brookhaven. Targets individuals, celebrations, and corporate event planners.
• Spell Restaurant Group E-Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase through the group website (via Heartland e-gift card platform) for redemption at Spell Restaurant Group establishments.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• First Watch Restaurant Group: First Watch is a multi-unit full-service daytime cafe operator with strong regional concentration and a focus on fresh, chef-driven menus — analogous to SRG's emphasis on locally sourced produce and chef-curated concepts along 30A.
• Hillstone Restaurant Group: Hillstone operates a multi-brand portfolio of upscale-casual and full-service restaurants (Hillstone, Houston's, South Beverly Grill) with chef-driven menus, comparable in concept diversity and target demographic to SRG's upscale coastal concepts like George's and Edward's.
• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises: LEYE operates a large portfolio of independently branded full-service restaurants across multiple cuisines and U.S. markets, mirroring SRG's strategy of distinct sub-brands (tapas, Latin, sushi, fine dining) under a single operating holding.

Broad incumbents

• Darden Restaurants: Darden is the largest U.S. full-service restaurant holding company (Olive Garden, LongHorn, Capital Grille, Seasons 52), comparable to SRG in operating a portfolio of distinct full-service brands but at vastly greater scale.
• Bloomin' Brands: Bloomin' Brands is a multi-concept restaurant holding company (Outback, Carrabba's, Bonefish, Fleming's), the closest large-cap analog to SRG's holding-company model spanning casual, upscale, and specialty dining.
• The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated: Cheesecake Factory operates a large full-service restaurant chain with an oversized menu and high-volume dining rooms, sharing SRG's full-service, varied-cuisine positioning but at national scale.
• Fat Brands: FAT Brands is a multi-concept restaurant acquirer (Fatburger, Round Table Pizza, Twin Peaks), sharing SRG's acquisition-driven multi-brand model but with casual/limited-service rather than full-service positioning.
• Ruth's Hospitality Group: Ruth's Hospitality operates upscale-casual steakhouses (Ruth's Chris Steak House) with strong private-event and catering programs, comparable to SRG's upscale concepts (George's, Edward's) and its catering/booking channel.

Emerging players

• Another Broken Egg of America: Another Broken Egg is a fast-growing daytime brunch concept with a chef-driven, locally sourced menu approach that overlaps with SRG's farm/sea-to-table positioning at George's and other upscale Florida concepts.

Regional players

• Timpano Italian Chophouse: Timpano operates upscale Italian chophouses in Florida (Sandalfoot, Tampa, Naples), making it a regional comparable to SRG's full-service Florida coastal dining concepts though with a single-cuisine focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spell-restaurant-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Spell Restaurant Group