BRIGHTON Mass. Francis M. “Frank” Barrett, creator of the Ground Round casual-dining concept and a high-level executive of Howard Johnson’s during the family chain’s heyday, died on Nov. 15 at age 79, his family said on Tuesday.
Barrett, a graduate of Harvard Business School, had a long career in foodservice, starting in the mid-1960s as a management trainee at a Howard Johnson’s in Wollaston Beach, Ma. He would rise to senior vice president of the chain, with responsibility for 900 restaurants, including units of an upscale secondary concept, Red Coach Grille. Red Coach, with its more sophisticated cuisine and emphasis on bar service, was a precursor to the present-day casual-dining restaurant.
Barrett would lead Howard Johnson Co. squarely into that arena in 1969 with the launch of Ground Round, a concept that sought to attract families by appealing to parents as much as their children. The chain was forced to cease operations several years ago when its lenders suddenly called for repayment right before Valentine’s Day. Some units continue to operate under the Ground Round identity, though many were converted into outlets of other chains or switched their names to Gold Fork.
Barrett left Howard Johnson in 1973 to form a multiconcept company called Barrett Restaurant Group. It would grow to 40 restaurants in four states, with such casual-dining concepts as The Charlie Horse and The Abington Ale House and Grille.
During his long restaurant career, Barrett was involved with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association. He was inducted into the MRA’s Hall of Fame in 1995.
Barrett’s brother, Arthur, also was in the hospitality business.