of the Grill Room in New York City. Those are projected to open the second quarter of 2026, he said.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
What comes after that remains to be seen. Fundamentally, the big thing, said Steve III, is finding the right deal. “Some landlords really don’t understand restaurant economics and the rents they want to charge don’t make sense,” he said. “Maybe it makes sense if you’re charging customers $150 to $180 per head.” Steve II, the group’s founder, meanwhile, is on a slow “10-year” retirement plan, though he’s still deeply involved in the day to day. He prefers to take more of a creative role of designing the group’s restaurants and menus. “He could have been an architect in another life,” said his son. Ralli has fully retired. Steve III took the CEO chair about a decade ago after working as an attorney and entrepreneur earlier in his life. His brother Michael Lombardo is chief systems officer for the group, having worked essentially all positions, except chef. Sisters Liz Lombardo Stark (director of marketing and public relations) and Christa Vrabel (director of digital experience) lead the marketing team. And there are 10 grandchildren as a potential third generation to take over, though all are too young to know whether there’s interest at this point. Whatever happens, Steve III said he and his siblings agree that the next generation should work in other industries first, and then decide if they want to come back to the family business. Steve III proudly noted that the Lombardos have built the family empire slowly and organically. “We’ve not raised $100 million from some private-equity fund to go open 30 restaurants in two years, or something like that,” he said. “To do it right, it takes some time.”
Then, in 2015 came another collaboration that has been hard to top: Gib- sons Restaurant Group partnered with famed restaurateur Steve Schussler— creator of The Rainforest Café and the brains behind some of the flashiest restaurants in the country—to open The Boathouse at Disney Springs in Or- lando. It’s a 23,000-square-foot, 1940s-era boathouse with amphibious ve- hicles, water-themed merchandise and wooden boats called “floating works of art.” Food-and-beverage sales of $45.5 million last year put The Boathouse at No. 3 on the Top 100 list. If merchandise sales were added, it would be anoth- er $6 million, Steve III said. “Disney has been a great landlord, and Steve a great partner,” he said. “We’re hoping to do more with him at Disney.” RIVER NORTH The next big launch came in 2017 with Gibsons Italia, which Steve III says has really taken off. At No. 7 on the Top 100, the somewhat higher-end modern steakhouse with an Italian accent recorded $31.4 million in sales last year with 387 seats. It’s a stunning restaurant with one of the best views of the river in downtown Chicago. The location led to another collaboration, this time with the acclaimed chef and restaurateur José Andrés. In the same building as Gibsons Italia, the Lombardos worked with Andrés to open locations of the Spanish chef’s Bazaar Meat by José Andrés and Bar Mar. It was another situation where there was a great deal for a great location available, said Steve III. “We reached out to [Andrés] and we spent a good year or more getting to know each other to make sure our cultures [worked together]. They’re not the same, and they never will be the same, but there was enough overlap that we see and view the customer and the culinary experience very similarly,” he said, noting that the two restaurants together did about $17 million in sales last year. “It’s been a great relationship.” Now the Gibsons group is looking more outside Chicago. A location of Quartino opened in Dallas about 18 months ago, for example. And Steve III said the group is looking where people are moving, in places like Florida, Texas, Arizona and Nashville. But that doesn’t mean Gibsons restaurants are giving up on Chicago. The next launch is slated for Fulton Market, a restaurant and bar hot spot in Chicago. Steve III said the group is planning two concepts—one more casual, like a tavern, and the other a luxurious supper club, along the lines
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JANUARY 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
PHOTO COURTESY: HUGO'S FROG BAR
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