Company History

In 1985, Harry founded The Rose Group with the purchase of five Roy Roger’s restaurants from the Marriott Corporation. By late 1985, the Company purchased an additional two Roy Roger’s and built two additional restaurants.

By the mid-nineties, The Rose Group was managing an additional eighty-four Roy Roger’s restaurants, along with owning and operating twelve Boston Market restaurants. By late 1996, the Boston Market units were sold to the Boston Market Corporation and the eighty-four Roy Roger’s were converted into Boston Market units.

By 1995, the Company started developing casual-dining atmosphere restaurants and opened its first Applebee’s restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. To-date, The Rose Group owns and operates fifty-nine Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The Company had also developed and sold twenty-three Einstein Bros Bagel restaurants.

In 2002, The Rose Group partnered with Doherty Enterprises, to develop a chain of traditional Italian cuisine eateries know as Johnny Carino’s County Italian Restaurants. After opening four restaurants and having a fifth under construction, Johnny Carino’s was sold in 2005.

In 2006, The Rose Group along with Doherty Enterprises also developed The Shannon Rose Irish Pub with three locations currently operating in New Jersey. With its 19 beers on tap, malt scotches, live bands and entertainment, The Shannon Rose creates an environment to make you feel you have stepped in a pub in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2007, The Rose Group became the first restaurant management company in the United States to franchise the Corner Bakery Cafe concept. The Company now owns and operates four Corner Bakery Cafe’s, with two in development for 2012.

Awards

1996: Roy Roger’s awarded The Rose Group with a prestigious “Five Years of Excellence” award for the mid-Atlantic region.

1997: The Company was recognized by Boston Chicken, Inc. as “Employer of the Year” for its Boston Market and Einstein Bros Bagel concepts. Both concepts were also named “Best of Philly” by Philadelphia Magazine.

2005: The Rose Group received numerous awards for: best training practices, most-improved staffing excellence, best-recruiting innovation practices, sales, quality operations, customer service, neighborhood involvement and development.

2006: The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association announced that the Company had been selected to receive the Restaurant Neighbor Award. This award was created by the National Restaurant Association to highlight restaurants outstanding community service and charitable efforts.

2009: The Company was awarded the Maryland Mid-Size Restaurant Neighbor award by the National Restaurant Association which is the leading business association for the restaurant industry. The Rose Group earned this award for its work with the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Since 2005, the Company has been involved with this initiative and has raised over $2.4 million towards pediatric cancer research in memory of Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who died of childhood cancer in 2004. The Restaurant Neighbor Award honors restaurants and individuals that go above and beyond in community service, inspiring other restaurants to become more involved in their local communities.

2011: The Company again received the Restaurant Neighbor Award from the National Restaurant Association for its continued outstanding community service and charitable efforts.

Headquartered in Newtown, Pa, The Rose Group is the 34th largest restaurant franchise company in the United States and has over 5,000 employees.