99 Restaurants Rebrands Locations and Menu

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If you live in New England, you have certainly heard of the 99 restaurant chain. If you don’t live here, you don’t know what you’re missing! The restaurant recently underwent a massive renovation not only to the interior of each restaurant but revamped its menu as well. The one thing that remained consistent during the transition is the pricing, quality and service.

 

“It is important to keep the brand contemporary and also satisfy our guests,” said Brad Schiff, vice president of marketing. “We made changes to the exterior, interior, uniforms, logo, music, lighting and China. We were looking to make sure we maintained our current guest base while appealing to those looking for a night out with their family.”

 

The restaurant continues to grow throughout the northeast and the restaurant chain continues to give back to the community. “99 Restaurants is very much involved in The Boys and Girls Club and has been for the past 11 years,” he said. “We have raised well into the six figures for the group. Every restaurant is matched with a different chapter and each meets with the executive director to see how the 99 can help that particular location. We raised $60,000 in a chain-wide raffle as well. Many of our employees, who we call ‘team members,’ are on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club so now it’s our chance to give back to the community.”

 

Earlier this year, when the restaurant was rebranded, they had a silent auction that raised $450,000. “Guests could take home a part of the 99 and put it in their home,” Schiff said. “They were able to purchase nostalgic plaques and décor. One customer even bid on booths to recreate a 99 in his basement. We donated $300,000 to local schools and $150,000 to the Boys and Girls Club.”

 

We visited the restaurant one bustling Thursday evening and were greeted by the restaurant’s general managing partner, Joe Swindler. For starters, we sampled the boneless wings and skins sampler, a generous portion of juicy chicken tenders smothered in spicy buffalo sauce and potato skins loaded with melted cheese and bacon. Other starters included chipotle chicken quesadilla, Baja crab cakes, toasted ravioli, vegetable pot stickers and spinach and artichoke dip.

 

The king sirloin tips were the winner of the evening, a 24 ounce size portion of the marinated and broiled tips. Tender and flavorful, the tips are served with a potato and vegetable or bistro salad. The southern fried chicken is one of their best dishes too – a large piece of chicken breaded and drizzled with honey (they serve it with gravy upon request) and a side of garlic red-skin mashed potatoes, corn and a honey butter biscuit.

 

Entrees here are so reasonably priced, it’s almost unheard of with most dishes under $11. Other dinners included such traditional pub staples as chicken parmigiana, chicken, broccoli and ziti, fish and chips, steakburgers and a variety of sandwiches such as the triple-decker turkey club (one of my personal favorites). Some intriguing upscale entrees that you might not expect to see on the menu included chianti braised beef with wild mushroom ravioli, typhoon chicken stir fry and shrimp Toscana.

 

“The restaurant is all about value and we have a passion to serve our guests, community and each other,” he said. “That’s our mission statement. As a result, we have the highest retention in the entire restaurant industry. We really treat each other right and are concerned about growth. Because of that, our team members treat our guests right. We have team members who have been with the company for 10, 15 and 25 years.”

 

Be sure to stop by here next time you are in town – you’ll be glad you did.