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Melman wins NRN's Pioneer Award

Melman wins NRN's Pioneer Award

CHICAGO Long celebrated as one of the pre-eminent developers of inventive and profitable restaurant concepts, Richard Melman, founder and chairman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, will be honored as Nation's Restaurant News' 2009 Pioneer Award winner.

Melman opened his first concept in Chicago nearly 40 years ago and since then has applied his tireless creativity, wry sense of humor and deep-rooted understanding of the business to building a mini-empire that today spans 80 locations. LEYE, which generated revenues of $336 million in 2008, operates such trendsetting restaurants as Big Bowl, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, foodlife, Mity Nice Grill, R.J. Grunts, Scoozi!, Wildfire and Wow Bao.

Melman will be honored during the Golden Anniversary Celebration of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference, or MUFSO, on Monday, Oct. 5, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. He also will participate in a panel discussion along with this year's Golden Chain winners on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The panel will be sponsored by American Express.

"Congratulations to Richard Melman, whose creative vision has provided exciting new dining experiences for consumers across all industry segments," said Curtis Wilson, vice president and general manager for the restaurant and hotel national client group at American Express.

The Pioneer Award honors veteran restaurateurs for innovation, dedication and contributions that have helped to advance the foodservice industry.

Melman joins such previous honorees as casual-dining pioneer Norman Brinker, Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, J. Willard Marriott Sr. of Marriott Corp., and Ray Kroc of McDonald's.

"The Pioneer Award recognizes an industry trailblazer, someone who has had a long-lasting and powerful impact on the foodservice industry," said Tom Larranaga, publisher of Nation's Restaurant News. "Richard Melman has truly broken the mold for chain restaurant companies having successfully engineered so many innovative restaurant concepts. His success spans multiple segments, yet maintains a common denominator in each -- that special Melman recipe for service excellence, exciting menu options and a memorable customer dining experience."

Melman cut his foodservice teeth working at a family-owned restaurant and then at other operations in Chicago. After deciding that college was not for him, he teamed up with Jerry A. Orzoff, a successful real estate agent. In 1971 the pair opened the comically named R.J. Grunts, a hip and entertaining burger place designed to appeal to a new generation of diners.

After Grunts took off, the pair launched several casual, like-named operations, including the Great Gritzbe's Flying Food Show, Jonathan Livingston Seafood and Lawrence of Oregano.

Also around that time, Melman decided to branch out into fine dining when LEYE reopened Chicago's storied Pump Room.

Melman and Orzoff continued to work together until Orzoff died in 1981. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Melman and LEYE explored a growing range of styles and ethnic flavors, lighting a path for other multiunit restaurant operators. During that time LEYE opened seafood specialist Shaw's Crab House; Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba!, a Spanish tapas restaurant; Un Grand Cafe, a French bistro; Hat Dance, which features innovative Mexican fare; Big Bowl, an Asian cafe; and a number of Italian operations like Scoozi!, Tucci Benucch, and Tucci Milan, some of which he replicated in other cities.

Melman and LEYE also explored other types of operations like foodlife, a food forum, and Mity Nice Grill, a neighborhood grill concept.

To help broaden his company's culinary reach, he also partnered with several leading chefs, including Gabino Sotelino, Jean Joho, Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

"Rich Melman is not only one of the most creative and inspirational forces in foodservice, but also a mentor, teacher and adviser to so many of his foodservice colleagues," said Ellen Koteff, editor of Nation's Restaurant News. "I have always enjoyed interviewing him because he is bright, insightful and willing to share so much with the industry. It makes sense that he is in the hospitality industry because he is so hospitable himself."

Commenting on his success in the industry, Melman acknowledges his and LEYE's creativity, but also noted: "We play good, solid ball. Our costs are good. We surround ourselves with good people and we train them well. And we work very hard."

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