This restaurant chain has been feeding boys big and small for more than 70 years. Big Boy Restaurants International operates and franchises more than 150 of its signature family-dining spots in Michigan and more than half a dozen other states. Known for their hamburgers (and the iconic Big Boy figure holding a plate-sized sandwich), the restaurants also offer a full menu of breakfast options along with such home style dinner favorites as meat loaf, pork chops, and chicken fried steak. More than 20 locations are company-owned, while the rest are franchised. The company also has some 300 licensed Big Boy units operating in Japan. Founded by Bob Wian in 1936, the Big Boy chain is owned by chairman Robert Liggett.

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (CRW) has a lot of Friday's for which to be thankful. A leader in full-service restaurants, the company operates and franchises more than 900 T.G.I. Friday's casual dining locations across the US and in about 60 other countries. The restaurant chain offers a menu featuring beef, chicken, and seafood entrees along with a selection of popular appetizers. About 300 T.G.I. Friday's units are company-owned while the rest are franchised. The company also operates Pick Up Stix, an Asian-themed fast-casual chain with more than 90 locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona. CRW is a subsidiary of travel and leisure conglomerate Carlson Companies.

We are a privately held company headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina since 1981. We operate two casual dining concepts in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina. Both concepts are dedicated to excellent food, beverages and service in a warm and hospitable environment. The company will continue to grow in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina at a pace that is consistent with providing our guests the very best dining experience in the marketplace.

Jumeirah, which began operations in 1997, is a member of Dubai Holding, a collection of Dubai-based businesses and projects. The Dubai-based international hospitality firm Jumeirah Group manages about 10 luxury hotels and resorts primarily in the Middle East, but also in London (the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel), and the US (it acquired the Essex House in New York's Central Park South in 2006 and renamed it the Jumeirah Essex House). The group's portfolio also includes Wild Wadi, a water park located in Dubai, and The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.

The United States Basketball League (USBL) operates an association of professional basketball teams that play a 30-game schedule from April through June. The league encompasses a half dozen teams, including the Brooklyn Kings, the Dodge City Legend, and the Kansas Cagerz, which compete with 11 players each. The USBL generates revenue mostly through franchise fees and marketing sponsorships. It is intended to be a development league for recent college graduates and international players to showcase their skills for scouts from National Basketball Association teams. The founding Meisenheimer family controls about 90% of the USBL.

Bagels and coffee are key ingredients for this company. Einstein Noah Restaurant Group is the largest bagel shop operator in the US, with more than 690 company-owned and franchised locations in more than 35 states. Its flagship chain, Einstein Bros. Bagels, offers more than a dozen varieties of fresh-made bagels and spreads, along with coffee, pastries, and a menu of sandwiches and salads at its more than 530 outlets. In addition to Einstein Bros., New World operates the Noah's New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel chains. About 430 of the bagel shops are company-owned, while the rest are operated by franchisees or licensees. Investment firm Greenlight Capital controls about 65% of Einstein Noah.

QMH Ltd. company is owned by a consortium of private equity investors comprised of the Whitehall 2001 Funds, Goldman Sachs, and Regina Investments Sarl. QMH is a leading operator of mid-priced hotels in the UK with a portfolio of nearly 20 properties. Most of the company's hotels operate under the Holiday Inn brand, but QMH also operates a handful of Crowne Plaza and Best Western hotels. The properties are located mostly in smaller markets, and target both business and leisure travelers with a range of amenities including business centers and conference rooms, as well as health and fitness clubs.

Mean Fiddler may be playing your tune. Mean Fiddler Music Group is one of the UK's leading promoters of music festivals and venues. It owns more than a dozen venues, including Jazz Cafe, Relentless Garage, Warehouse, and The Borderline, and promotes such events as the Reading Festival, Leeds, and Latitude. An investment firm formed by Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation Entertainment) and Dublin's music promotion firm MCD Productions (led by music entrepreneur Denis Desmond) acquired Mean Fiddler Group in 2005. Mean Fiddler was founded as a single live-music club in 1982 by former chairman Vince Power.

D'Amico & Partners, Inc. trades on the partnership between Italian cuisine and upscale locations. D'Amico & Partners is a leading fine dining operator in Minneapolis with its flagship D'Amico Cucina offering world-class cooking in the city's historic Butler Square district since 1987. The company also operates Cafe & Bar Lurcat (pronounced "lur-swah") locations in Minneapolis and Naples, Florida. In addition to fine dining, D'Amico & Partners offers casual contemporary cuisine at its handful of Campiello and D'Amico & Sons locations, as well as catering services. The family-owned business was started by brothers Richard and Larry D'Amico.

T.H. Hamilton opened the first Piccadilly Cafeteria in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1944. In the decades since, Piccadilly has grown into a chain of 115 cafeteria restaurants operating in 15 states, including a major expansion in 1996 when the company took over one of its major competitors, Morrison's Cafeterias. Generations of families have established traditions around dining at Piccadilly. The wide-ranging menu of straightforward, homestyle meals, entrées, sides and desserts offers something for everyone - at prices that are hard to beat.

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