Since 1971, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. (LEYE) has maintained a sense of humor and enjoyment while creating high quality, successful restaurants. Due to the innovation of LEYE's Founder and Chairman, Richard Melman, and his creative team of partners and employees, LEYE currently owns, licenses or manages more than 100 establishments in Illinois, California, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Nevada. The founding of LEYE was the result of joining Melman's food ideas with the confidence and support of Jerry A. Orzoff, Melman's first partner. A successful real estate agent and North Michigan Avenue haberdasher, Orzoff (who died in 1981 at the age of 45), played a crucial role in Melman's life as a friend and mentor. "Jerry was a guy I respected and related to," says Melman. "He believed in my ideas. Meeting him was the turning point in my life." After meeting Melman for the first time in 1970, Orzoff liked his off-beat ideas, and believed in his ability. Working together as new friends and partners, Melman and Orzoff raised a total of $17,000 to create an upbeat eatery geared toward young singles interested in rock music, casual clothes and healthy food. Melman hired bright, attractive waitresses and bartenders and filled the location with hanging plants and modern artwork. The menu was designed to appeal to a variety of tastes, and included everything from vegetarian and macrobiotic foods to hamburgers, sandwiches, milkshakes and the first fruit and vegetable-laden salad bar. Melman and Orzoff paired their first initials, added the sound a pig makes when eating and baptized the establishment R.J. Grunts on June 10, 1971 in Chicago's Lincoln Park. Despite a lackluster response in the opening weeks, Orzoff provided the much needed confidence and enthusiasm to keep Melman optimistic until his dream became reality. After one month, Grunts became a success.The staff at Lettuce Entertain You come from unusually diverse demographic backgrounds. The company is 43.3% female and 37.8% ethnic minorities. Lettuce Entertain You employees are slightly more likely to be members of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, with 58.0% of employees identifying as members of the Democratic Party. Despite their political differences, employees at Lettuce Entertain You seem to be happy. The company has great employee retention with staff members usually staying for 4.9 years.A large hospitality company with 8,000 employees and an annual revenue of $300.0M, Lettuce Entertain You is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
Lettuce Entertain You's mission statement
Not to be the biggest, but to be the best we can be.
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4.4/5
Lettuce Entertain You employee reviews
Based on 7 ratings
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Employee reviews
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2024
Lettuce Entertain You benefits
Making life long friends
Pros of working at Lettuce Entertain You
Learning new skills even though I had my own restraunt previously (Crab house)
Cons of working at Lettuce Entertain You
Missing it
What do you like best about Lettuce Entertain You's CEO and the leadership team?
They know their stuff, they are extremely talented has worked his whole life with this company and he has worked hard
How would you improve Lettuce Entertain You's culture?
Keeping it exactly how it is . When I left ,I started flying again ( flight attendant) loved it but missed the friendships I made at the Eccentric and corporate
How did you prepare for the Lettuce Entertain You interview?
Well , the timing was right ,and I talked with Kevin ,I was myself, and he is very gracious person.
What's the diversity at Lettuce Entertain You like?
Diversity makes the world go round . I believe that whole heartedly. It's a beautiful thing .
How does your compensation at Lettuce Entertain You compare to the industry average?
Well between flying before Lettuce and after ,I bartended pt at a country club wich was good money but I didn't enjoy it like I did at the Eccentric.
What brings you the most joy at Lettuce Entertain You?
Of course making a living but ,making life long friends, then interviewing up at corporate with Charles, and him tripping in the office and we both laughed so hard that the interveiw was about over then .
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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Cons of working at Lettuce Entertain You
Each restaurant is a silo within the larger company.
Lettuce Entertain You benefits
The discounts at all of the restaurants.
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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021
Pros of working at Lettuce Entertain You
The managers and owners treats their employees with respect and dignity.
Cons of working at Lettuce Entertain You
None
Lettuce Entertain You benefits
Just the people I met through more than 20 years of experience.
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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021
Pros of working at Lettuce Entertain You
Great benefits, and even better staff.
Cons of working at Lettuce Entertain You
We were frequently understaffed.
Lettuce Entertain You benefits
Free food!
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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2021
Pros of working at Lettuce Entertain You
LeArning experiences from top chefs
Cons of working at Lettuce Entertain You
Work life balance -too many hours per day & low wages
Lettuce Entertain You benefits
Health insurance
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The team at Lettuce Entertain You
The founders of Lettuce Entertain You are Richard Melman and Jerry Orzoff.
The key people at Lettuce Entertain You are Kevin Brown, Richard Melman and Jerry Orzoff.
Key people
Kevin Brown
Richard Melman
Jerry Orzoff
Lettuce Entertain You rankings
Lettuce Entertain You is ranked #36 on the Best Hospitality companies to work for in Illinois list. Zippia's Best Places to Work lists provide unbiased, data-based evaluations of companies. Rankings are based on government and proprietary data on salaries, company financial health, and employee diversity.
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Lettuce Entertain You diversity
9.7
Diversity score
We calculated Lettuce Entertain You’s diversity score by measuring multiple factors, including the ethnic background, gender identity, and language skills of Lettuce Entertain You’s workforce.
Lettuce Entertain You diversity summary. Zippia estimates Lettuce Entertain You's demographics and statistics using a database of 30 million profiles. Zippia verifies estimates with BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. We calculated Lettuce Entertain You's diversity score by measuring multiple factors, including the ethnic background, gender identity, and language skills of Lettuce Entertain You's workforce.
Lettuce Entertain You has 8,000 employees.
43% of Lettuce Entertain You employees are women, while 57% are men.
The most common ethnicity at Lettuce Entertain You is White (62%).
18% of Lettuce Entertain You employees are Hispanic or Latino.
11% of Lettuce Entertain You employees are Black or African American.
The average employee at Lettuce Entertain You makes $44,797 per year.
Lettuce Entertain You employees are most likely to be members of the democratic party.
Employees at Lettuce Entertain You stay with the company for 4.9 years on average.
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Lettuce Entertain You financial performance
8.2
Performance score
Highest paying Lettuce Entertain You competitors
Compare Lettuce Entertain You salaries to competitors, including DineEquity, STARR Restaurants, and Red Star FC. Employees at DineEquity earn the highest average yearly salary of $66,799. The salaries at STARR Restaurants average $38,522 per year, and the salaries at Red Star FC come in at $37,145 per year.
Rank
Company
Average salary
Jobs
1
$66,799
0
2
$38,522
0
3
$37,145
0
4
$35,147
0
5
$33,244
0
6
$32,808
0
7
$32,663
0
8
$32,507
0
9
$31,961
0
10
$31,282
0
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Lettuce Entertain You FAQs
When was Lettuce Entertain You founded?
How many employees does Lettuce Entertain You have?
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Lettuce Entertain You, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Lettuce Entertain You. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Lettuce Entertain You. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Lettuce Entertain You. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Lettuce Entertain You and its employees or that of Zippia.
Lettuce Entertain You may also be known as or be related to LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU ENTERPRISES, INC., Lettuce Entertain You, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. and Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.