COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 5813

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

28companies1698–2003founding years27still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedShepherd Neame Limited
1698
FoundedThe Greenalls Group PLC
1762
FoundedGrand Hotel Krasnapolsky N.V.
1878
1886
EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.
FoundedThe Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC
1890
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSanborn Hermanos, S.A.
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedScottish & Newcastle plc
1931
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedFlanigan's Enterprises, Inc.
1959
FoundedAllied Domecq PLC
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBass PLC
1967
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedJD Wetherspoon plc
1979
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedBuffalo Wild Wings, Inc.
1982
FoundedArk Restaurants Corp.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSFI Group plc
1986
FoundedJillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedEnterprise Inns plc
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedTumbleweed, Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedRichtree Inc.
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedThe Laurel Pub Company Limited
2001
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Shepherd Neame Limited →
Active · founded 1698 · United Kingdom
Shepherd Neame Limited has the distinction of being among the oldest British brewers as well as the 15th oldest…
The Greenalls Group PLC →
Active · founded 1762 · United Kingdom
Operated for more than two centuries as a regional brewer and distiller, The Greenalls Group PLC has in the space of…
Fuller Smith & Turner P.L.C. →
Active · founded 1845 · United Kingdom
While its larger U.K.
Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky N.V. →
Active · founded 1878 · Netherlands
Long a fixture of Amsterdam's famed Dam Square, Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky N.V.
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC →
Active · founded 1890 · United Kingdom
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC, popularly known as Wolves, is the United Kingdom's largest integrated…
Young & Co.'s Brewery, P.L.C. →
Active · founded 1890 · United Kingdom
1581: Humphrey Langridge operates the Ram Brewery.
Sanborn Hermanos, S.A. →
Active · founded 1907 · Mexico
Best known in the United States as the American tourist's home away from home in Mexico, Sanborn Hermanos, S.A.
Scottish & Newcastle plc →
Active · founded 1931 · United Kingdom
Scottish & Newcastle plc is the United Kingdom's largest brewer.
Sapporo Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
Flanigan's Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Flanigan operated his business under three names during the 1990s.
Allied Domecq PLC →
Defunct · founded 1961 · United Kingdom
Allied Domecq PLC is the second largest distiller of wine and spirits in the world, second only to industry leader…
Vail Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Vail Associates, Inc., is the owner of Vail Mountain, the largest and most popular ski area in the United States;…
Bass PLC →
Active · founded 1967 · United Kingdom
Conceived as a single brewery in the late 18th century, Bass PLC was in the process of a historic transition at the…
Autogrill SpA →
Active · founded 1977 · Italy
Autogrill SpA is the world's leading operator of travel restaurant facilities.
JD Wetherspoon plc →
Active · founded 1979 · United Kingdom
JD Wetherspoon plc is one of the United Kingdom's largest and fastest growing chains of publican houses (pubs).
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., runs a chain of more than 200 chicken wing restaurants, which are located around the United…
Applebee's International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Applebee's International, Inc.
Ark Restaurants Corp. →
Active · founded 1983
Ark Restaurants Corp.
SFI Group plc →
Active · founded 1986 · United Kingdom
Woking-based SFI Group plc is one of the United Kingdom's fastest-growing operators of drinking and eating…
Luminar Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
Luminar Plc is the United Kingdom's leading nightclub owner and operator, with more than 250 nightclubs, bars, and…
Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
Enterprise Inns plc →
Active · founded 1991 · United Kingdom
In the meantime, Enterprise immediately returned to the acquisition trail in April 2002, paying Morgan Grenfell £875…
Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
Tumbleweed, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Tumbleweed, Inc.
Richtree Inc. →
Active · founded 1996 · Canada
Richtree Inc.
Punch Taverns plc →
Active · founded 1997 · United Kingdom
Punch Taverns plc has worked its way to the top of the United Kingdom's pub market.
The Laurel Pub Company Limited →
Active · founded 2001 · United Kingdom
The U.K.
Mitchells & Butlers PLC →
Active · founded 2003 · United Kingdom
Mitchells & Butlers PLC is one of the United Kingdom's largest operators of managed pubs, with more than 2,000 drinking…
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