CHILI'S

Larry opened the first Chili's location in 1975. He and his friend Malloy Buckner talked about opening a neighborhood restaurant that served really great burgers and fries. Lavine was committed, going so far as to sell his car to help pay for the construction of the restaurant. The move paid off, and there was eventually a line of customers around the block.

In the 1970s there were mostly cafes and fine dining restaurants with not many choices between the two. Chili’s was one of the first casual dining options that offered a menu of high quality comfort food in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. His idea was to create a place that was exciting enough where you could get a great burger and a margarita at dinner as well

as lunch. In addition to burgers and margaritas, the first location had some other notable food items to offer its customers.

Larry developed the menu, the over all design and service model for the brand and managed its expansion across the US. He led its public offering with Norman Brinker. Today, there are more than 1500 Chili's restaurants worldwide with $3.5 Billion in annual sales.