Lyon's
{{for|the British food company|J. Lyons and Co.}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2010}}
{{Infobox company
| logo =
| name = Lyon's Restaurant
| parent =
| type = Private
| company_slogan =
| foundation = 1952 in San Francisco, US
| location = Sacramento, California, US
| defunct = 2012
| key_people =
| industry = Restaurants
| num_employees =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| products =
| homepage =
}}
Lyon's Restaurant was a chain of diner-style restaurants, similar to Denny's. Many Lyon's were in Northern California, with their corporate headquarters in Sacramento.
History
Lyon's was founded in San Francisco in about 1952 by Lyons Magnus which was a Wholesaler of Syrups at the time.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} In 1966, it was bought by Consolidated Foods Corporation which later became Sara Lee; the company sold the chain in a management buyout (MBO) in 1989.Chaudhry, Rajan [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n3_v23/ai_6975616 Sara Lee exits restaurant biz with sale of Lyon's], Nation's Restaurant News, 16 Jan, 1989. At the time of the MBO, Lyon's had 65 restaurants across California, Oregon and Nevada and a turnover of $100m.
Not all of their restaurants were in Northern California. Around 1968, there was at least one in Southern California, in La Habra's Fashion Square. The location is now a Denny's Diner and sits near the northeast corner of South Beach Boulevard & West Imperial Highway. The exterior of the building is almost unchanged (other than being painted a different color). It was a Honey's Diner location until the late 1990s or early 2000s. Another Lyon's was photographed in Eugene, Oregon, in 1985.{{Cite web|url=http://boundless.uoregon.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130626182427/http://boundless.uoregon.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Farchpnw&CISOPTR=15479&CISOBOX=1&REC=5|url-status=dead|title=Lyons Restaurant (Eugene, Oregon)|archive-date=26 June 2013|access-date=24 November 2021}} This site became a Chinese buffet restaurant catering to faculty and students at the University of Oregon.
After bankruptcy in February 1998,Anderson, Mark [http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2002/09/02/story6.html?t=printable Lyon's moves HQ here, licks its wounds], Sacramento Business Journal, 30 August 2002.0 Lyon's was acquired by ICH, an Arby's franchisee. In January 2001, ICH sold Lyon's to Amber's Pacific Restaurants Inc.,[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_44_35/ai_79665856 Lyon's chain files Ch. 11 after rapid shrinkage] Nation's Restaurant News, 29 October, 2001 a company of San Diego restaurant owner Amber Lao. APRI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2001, blaming the economic turndown at that time.
In 2002, Lyon's reorganized its 72 remaining restaurants. It sold 35 to franchisees, closed 32, and kept five in Northern California.{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2002/09/02/story8.html|title=Back on Lyon's restaurant chain menu: expansion|website=Bizjournal.com|access-date=24 November 2021}}
The last Lyon's closed in Sacramento in March, 2012.{{Cite web|url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/03/25/nations-remaining-lyons-restaurant-closes-in-sacramento/|title=Nation's Remaining Lyon's Restaurant Closes In Sacramento|website=Sacramento.cbslocal.com|date=25 March 2012|access-date=24 November 2021}}
On April 25, 2015, a Lyon's opened in the old Tony Roma's at 4233 Moorpark Avenue in West San Jose. New Lyon's locations have also opened in Tracy and Stockton, California. As of 2017, the Lyon's locations in San Jose, Tracy and Stockton have permanently closed.{{cn|date=August 2022}}
As of August 2022, Lyons has plant locations in Wisconsin, Kentucky, and California.{{cn|date=August 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Category:Restaurants in California
Category:Defunct restaurant chains in the United States
Category:Restaurant franchises
Category:Companies based in Sacramento, California
Category:Restaurants established in 1952
Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1998
Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001