A Beef ‘O’ Brady’s restaurant is scheduled to open on Mississippi 45 in Columbus early next year. The company also plans to open a restaurant in cities such as Hattiesburg, Meridian and Magee if the right person can be found to invest in the franchise.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s CEO Chris Elliott said the restaurant chain was designed to be a family-friendly sports bar where sports fans can watch the games and enjoy a meal and the kids feel welcome. That concept has paid off for the chain as it enters its 40th year.
“The founder had young children at the time,” said Chris Elliott, CEO of Beef ‘O’ Brady. “He wanted a bar in the restaurant for his adult friends, but he put video games and TVs for the kids, and that’s how the restaurant evolved from its early days to something for families, and that’s how it’s grown.”
The first store opened in 1985 in Brandon, Florida, offering chicken wings and burgers. The menu has expanded to include sandwiches, entrees, pizza and appetizers. The brand will soon add steaks to the menu, but it’s the family-style sports bar that makes the brand so popular.
The kids’ menu features fun dishes like a pepperoni and cheese quesadilla, hand-breaded chicken tenders and the ever-popular mini corn dog.
“It works really well in small towns,” Elliott said, adding that the largest city to have a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s restaurant has a population of about 60,000.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has 130 locations in 15 states and plans to open more in the coming years.
The restaurant chain has a connection to Mississippi because it buys its chicken from Sanderson Farms, which is headquartered in Laurel.
“Wings are still our best-selling item,” Elliott said.
The restaurant chain is not new to Mississippi. The brand already had locations across the state, including in D’Iberville, Meridian and Madison.
Elliott said the restaurants were likely victims of the nationwide economic crisis that began in 2008.
“We lost quite a bit of business during the economic downturn,” he said.
One of the main differences between Beef ‘O’ Brady’s and other restaurant chains like O’Charley’s and Applebee’s is that it has a sports bar element.
“You get equal or better food, but you also get the sports and kids aspect,” Elliott said.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s also offers an entertainment element that other chains don’t, with trivia nights and other events.
And there’s something else that makes the brand so popular, especially in smaller towns: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is community-oriented and involved in schools, churches and other organizations.
“We have a really strong social connection and people in the community appreciate that,” Elliott said.
To learn more
For more information about Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, visit beefobradys.com.
For franchise information, visit fscfranchiseco.com.
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