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Il Fornaio history
Il Fornaio company history timeline
The Il Fornaio brand was established in 1972 as a baking school in Barlassina, Lombardia, Italy.
1975 – Il Fornaio first retail bakery in Milan, Italy.
The Il Fornaio bakery concept was introduced to the United States in 1980 when the company acquired exclusive rights in the United States to the Il Fornaio trademark and to certain recipes that remained central to the company's bakery concept.
1981 – First Il Fornaio retail bakeries open in the United States in San Francisco & Beverly Hills, CA.
Williams-Sonoma opened four locations in California before selling the business to private investors in 1983.
1986 – Noted restaurateur Larry Mindel acquires Il Fornaio with partners Howard Lester, Warren Hellman & Scott Hedrick.
1989 – Il Fornaio opens restaurants in San Francisco, Del Mar & Palo Alto, CA.
1991 – Il Fornaio Baking Book published by Chronicle Books.
By year-end 1995 the company had opened 11 full-service Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana (restaurants with bakeries) in California and operated five wholesale bakeries.
Each month, as part of the company's Festa Regionale 1995 marketing program, these chefs developed special menus based on the local cuisine and culinary style of one of Italy's 20 geographic regions.
In 1995 the company instituted a Partnership Program, which provided equity participation to chefs and restaurant managers.
Growth in California and Elsewhere: 1995-97
1995 – Festa Regionale, a monthly celebration of the food & wine of a different region of Italy, begins.
Net income grew to $2.58 million ($0.48 per share diluted) from $1.45 million ($0.32 per share diluted) in 1996: an increase of 77.8 percent.
1996 – Il Fornaio opens first restaurant in Las Vegas, NV and expands eastward to Denver, CO.
In March 1997 the company opened a free-standing 12,000-square-foot wholesale bakery in Burlingame, California.
In his 1997 Annual Report, Chairman Mindel commented that "a new niche is evolving in the restaurant business, somewhere between 'casual dining,' with an average guest check of $15 and 'fine dining,' where a guest routinely pays in excess of $50.
In 1997 the company became publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Il Fornaio opened its sixteenth unit in Seattle, Washington, in October 1998.
Further Expansion: 1998 and Beyond
By year-end 1998 Michael J. Hislop had been appointed president and chief executive officer; Larry Mindel continued to be chairman of the board.
Net income for fiscal 1998 increased by 21 percent to $3.1 million versus $2.6 million for the prior year.
In addition, sales at the restaurants increased by 3.3 percent for the fourth quarter of 1998, a percentage that represented the twelfth consecutive quarter of increases in same-store sales.
All was on track for a May 1999 opening of Il Fornaio Canaletto, the company's 18th restaurant unit--its second in Las Vegas&mdash well as for a number of other restaurants under construction.
By 2000 the company had $124 million annual revenues.
2002 – Il Fornaio Pasta Book published by Chronicle Books.
They then branched out to Las Vegas, Nevada, Colorado, Seattle, and Virginia, opening a total of 22 by 2008.
Roark Capital Group bought the company in 2011.
2012 – Il Fornaio celebrates 40 years.
2016 – Il Fornaio named in OpenTable’s top 100 list of Scenic Restaurants.
2019 – Il Fornaio receives the 2019 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, marking over 15 years of consecutive Award of Excellence nominations.
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Il Fornaio competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.F. Chang's China Bistro | 1993 | $1.2B | 20,000 | 1,094 |
| Carrabba's | 1986 | $4.1B | 30,000 | 1 |
| Buca di Beppo | 1993 | $310.0M | 7,500 | - |
| Romano's Macaroni Grill | 1988 | $2.5M | 7,001 | - |
| Piatti Ristorante | - | $38.1M | 1,200 | 16 |
| Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano | 1998 | $130.0M | 2,000 | 103 |
| Maggiano's Little Italy | 1994 | $71.0M | 1,555 | 567 |
| Corner Bakery Cafe | 1991 | $200.0M | 3,000 | 3 |
| Andiamo | - | $1.4M | 25 | 4 |
| Brick Oven Restaurant | - | $1.3M | 35 | - |
Il Fornaio history FAQs
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Il Fornaio may also be known as or be related to Il Fornaio, Il Fornaio (America) Corp. and Il Fornaio (America) LLC.