Celebrating 50 year anniversary

On January 20, 1972, the company’s founder Tony Roma opened his flagship restaurant, Tony Roma’s, in North Miami, Florida. The restaurant quickly became one of the most popular eateries in Miami and established its niche in the market.

Over the years, loyal customers, families and friends continued to flock to the restaurant for its popular Baby Back Ribs. These special ribs emerged as a house specialty that are now enjoyed by guests across the globe. Now, after 50 years of successful growth and world-wide expansion, the company is celebrating being one of the most recognizable names in the restaurant industry.

“What better way to kick off 2022 than to be celebrating this monumental moment for our 50 years old brand,” said Ramon Bourgeois, CEO (Acting) & COO of Romacorp, Inc. “As we look to the next 50 plus years, we are focused on growth, a fresh new concept, family-friendly dining experiences and continuing to serve up our saucy and flavorful ribs. We look forward to bringing families together around the table for many more years to come.”

Tony Roma’s is delighted and honored that dignitaries including U.S. Representative Val Demings have shared congratulatory wishes to the brand, which has been serving families and communities for five decades, locally in Florida and around the world.

Tony Roma’s is a full-service, family-friendly dining destination with locations spanning 5 continents that serves up its World-Famous Baby Back Ribs and beloved menu classics, such as Kicking shrimp, Onion Loaf, Miami Burger, Sizzling Ribeye & Romaritas. Recently, the brand announced its new visionary leadership team, who are paving the way for the brand’s next chapter of growth to expand the brand and Tony Roma’s portfolio of dining experiences.

Later this year, the brand plans to launch a 3,000+ square foot dining prototype along with its 500 square foot fast-casual concept Bones & Burgers™, which will cater to on-the-go guests, while still providing the same quality ingredients and fresh preparations in an authentic quick-service space.

The company plans to open 200 Tony Roma’s locations over the next decade, primarily focusing on markets in the Middle East, Asia, Canada and the United States. The newest Tony Roma’s locations are set to open in North Carolina this summer and Montana before the end of the year.

Tony Roma’s Design

At  Tony Roma’s, we offer a more cost-effective and smaller footprint (starting at 3,000sf), so that the owner’s initial investment is now significantly smaller. We are shifting focus from the free-standing restaurants to in-line, end cap and mall locations. The compact design is more flexible to locate and allows franchisees to open in closer proximity to Tony Roma’s customers. It is also a much faster concept to build, allowing restaurants to open in about half the time it takes for a free-standing build.

Cost and fees of owning a Tony Roma’s restaurant

The total investment for launching a Tony Roma’s restaurant is in the $1.2 million to $2 million range, depending on the location, size and type of restaurant.  Our new locations will be in the neighborhood of 3,000 to 4,000  square feet.

Who are we looking for? Sophisticated operators with:

• Minimum $3 million net worth (not including residences, automobiles, and other personal assets)
• Of that net worth, $1 million should be liquid (i.e., cash or easily convertible assets)
• Equity group-buying affiliation
• Previous restaurant and/or hospitality experience
• A passion for people, hospitality, food, and the Tony Roma’s brand
• Personnel and financial management knowledge, as well as marketing and business development expertise

Would you like to learn more about investing in an iconic American upscale casual dining concept with untapped domestic growth opportunities? Our new leadership has unveiled an exciting brand refresh, and we have a proven track record of unprecedented brand affinity with passionate fans worldwide. We are looking for business owners, particularly multi-unit operators, who love food and people. Our new leadership is focused on aggressive U.S. and Canadian expansion over the next five to 10 years. Fill out our request information form.