According to Restaurant Business Online
How are all those branches of Joe’s Stone Crab independent?
THE NUMBER OF STEAKHOUSE ON THIS LIST: Probably explains why they keep opening up more un-needed steakhouses ‪#‎oceanprimeboston‬
The Smith is a chain, too. In fact, so are the Craft restaurants, and I recognize some other names that are chains or at least franchises. I don’t really understand their methodology. It’s still interesting, though.
[Edited:] I see they explain their methodology at the end:
“Only restaurant concepts with no more than five locations are considered
“independents” for the purpose of this list (although it’s possible a
restaurant that shares a name with a chain concept but is owned and
operated separately would qualify, as with Smith & Wollensky in New
York City).”
So wait, there are no more than 5 Carmine’s branches? I find that really hard to believe.
From the article itself:
Methodology
RB’s Top 100 ranking is a measure of the highest-grossing independent restaurants. Only restaurant concepts with no more than five locations are considered “independents” for the purpose of this list (although it’s possible a restaurant that shares a name with a chain concept but is owned and operated separately would qualify, as with Smith & Wollensky in New York City). Rankings are based on the previous year’s gross food-and-beverage sales. Information was gathered through surveys. When data wasn’t provided, sales were estimated based on public information, similar concepts and other factors.