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50-545: Sizzler USA Restaurants, Inc. , doing business as Sizzler , is a United States–based restaurant chain with headquarters in Mission Viejo, California , with locations mainly in California , plus some in the nearby states of Arizona , Nevada , New Mexico , Idaho , Utah , and Oregon , as well as Puerto Rico . It is known for steak , seafood , and salad bar items. Since 2023, Sizzler restaurants outside of

100-420: A DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or independent city in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with

150-467: A DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted. This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a trademark application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights. In

200-605: A Sizzler restaurant in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . Health officials said that the most likely source of contamination was meat supplied by the Excel Corporation meat packer . The health officials believed that cross contamination to other food items occurred when Sizzler employees handled the meat near areas where salad bar items were prepared. This was similar to an outbreak in Washington and Oregon in 1993. In

250-835: A US management group led by the Sizzler CEO would buy the American portion of the chain of 178 restaurants from Pacific Equity Partners with the remaining 100 restaurants located outside of the United States remaining with Pacific Equity Partners. The headquarters initially remained in Culver City, California, where the chain was founded, but moved to Mission Viejo, California, in 2012. Sizzler has launched its "ZZ" food truck to expand sales and test market new dishes. In September 2020, Sizzler USA announced that they had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing impacts of

300-476: A contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of the business. Numbered companies will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public. In Chile , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Ireland , businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from

350-706: A decrease of two stores compared to the financial year 2016. Collins Foods had operated 65 Sizzler restaurants in Asia during the same year, an increase of 5 stores compared to the previous financial year. An additional two stores in Asia were planned for the financial year 2017. In 2020, Collins Foods closed its six remaining Sizzler stores in China due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic . In October 2020, Collins Foods announced that it would be closing all nine remaining Australian Sizzler restaurants by 15 November 2020, citing

400-420: A free grilled cheese bread roll at the start of the experience which was intended to line the stomach, curbing appetite. Customers took notice, and Sizzler's reputation suffered. Sizzler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996 ("to escape costly leases on unprofitable restaurants"), and closed over 130 of its locations. The company reemerged from Chapter 11 in 1997. During the late 1990s, new management upgraded

450-810: A number of Sizzler restaurants in Australia. Meanwhile, Collins Foods' Sizzler operations in Asia continued to thrive, with further expansion planned in China. Collins Foods closed all of its remaining Sizzler restaurants in Australia in November 2020. Collins Foods said of the three restaurant brands that it operates, Sizzler had been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sizzler was in operation in Taipei for twenty years at Tianmu and Da'an from 1990 to 2010, and eventually closed due to negotiation with international franchisee Collins Foods resulting in not continuing

500-401: A preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or is too similar to a name that is already registered. Using one or more fictitious business names does not create additional separate legal entities. The distinction between a registered legal name and a fictitious business name, or trade name, is important because fictitious business names do not always identify

550-413: A trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Brazil , a trade name is known as a nome fantasia ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called razão social (social name). In some Canadian jurisdictions , such as Ontario , when a businessperson writes a trade name on

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600-552: Is Royal Holdings Co., Ltd., a Fukuoka -based food service company. Royal Holdings opened the first Japanese Sizzler steakhouse in 1991. By August 2021, Royal Holdings had 10 Sizzler restaurants in Japan. The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Thailand is Minor Food Group via a subsidiary called SLRT Limited. Minor opened its first Thai Sizzler steakhouse in 1996. By 2001, Minor had 19 Sizzler restaurants throughout Thailand. During

650-581: Is called a razón social . Collins Foods Collins Foods Limited is a publicly - listed Australian company focused in restaurant operations. It operates KFC and Taco Bell restaurants in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands. It previously owned the US-based Sizzler restaurants (until 2011), operated Sizzler in Australia (until 2020), and franchised Sizzler in Asia. It also operated Snag Stand in Australia (until 2017), and

700-524: The COVID-19 pandemic , namely forcing it to temporarily close its restaurants' dining rooms. The company also cited problems paying rent. Most of the company-owned restaurants are located in highly COVID-19 infected areas of California that did not even permit restaurants to partially open dining rooms as recently as September 2020. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, Sizzler had 107 locations in 10 states, with all but one location in Florida in states west of

750-466: The United Kingdom , there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names. A minority of U.S. states, including Washington , still use

800-575: The 1990s, Sizzler ran upscale locations with the Buffalo Ranch Steakhouse brand. Sizzler was sold to Pacific Equity Partners , an Australian-based investment firm, in 2005. In January 2008, Sizzler announced it was planning to take action against the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) of Urbandale, Iowa , over the use of the name The Sizzler (Hot Lotto) . In June 2011, Sizzler USA announced that

850-498: The 1990s. In the 2013 financial year, Collins Foods reported stalling revenue for their Sizzler operations in Australia, blaming the downturn of the casual dining sector in the country. By 2015, Collins Foods wrote down the value of Sizzler by AU$ 37.5 million. In an investors meeting by Collins Foods, CEO Graham Maxwell states: "We no longer consider Sizzler to be a strategic growth prospect in Australia and therefore we will not be investing further capital". Collins Foods began to close

900-520: The 1993 case, as in 2000, the tainted meat apparently came from Excel and contaminated salad bar items. This ultimately led to Sizzler closing the chain's remaining Midwest locations, including those in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. Doing business as In a number of countries, the phrase " trading as " (abbreviated to t/a ) is used to designate a trade name. In the United States ,

950-640: The COVID-19 pandemic, the company experimented with the use of robotic waiters in the dining room in December 2020 to minimize physical contact between customers and restaurant staff. After the Thai government loosen COVID-19 dine-in restrictions in September 2021, Sizzler Thailand was able to reopen 54 out of a total of 60 restaurants for dine-in. Two months after reopening, the Thai franchise announced expansion plans of trying to open new 3-5 restaurants per year over

1000-722: The Netherlands. In November 2013, Collins Foods acquired the 44 KFC restaurants (40 in Western Australia and 4 in the Northern Territory ) owned by Competitive Foods Australia for $ 55.6 million. In May 2016, Collins Foods further acquired 13 KFC restaurants in New South Wales and Victoria . As of November 2016, Collins Foods operates 190 KFC stores in Australia: 132 in Queensland , four in

1050-791: The Northern Territory, 41 in Western Australia, and two in New South Wales . An additional 5 to 6 stores were planned for financial year 2017. In June 2017, Collins Foods acquired 28 KFC stores in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia from Yum! Brands for $ 110.2 million. On 31 October 2016, Collins Foods announced that its German subsidiary, Collins Foods Germany, entered into a binding agreement to acquire 11 KFC restaurants in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf , Germany for €12.7 million (A$ 18.4 million). This occurred in

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1100-723: The Rocky Mountains in addition to several locations in Puerto Rico. This number is down from the 134 locations in 2018. Post-COVID, Sizzler is still in operation and is attempting to rebuild its business with renovations, a new menu, and an advertising campaign. Following Sizzler USA's separation from Sizzler International in 2011, all locations outside the United States were operated or licensed by Australia-based Collins Foods . In 2023, Collins sold its Sizzler business and intellectual property to Thailand-based Minor International . The current Sizzler franchise-holder in Japan

1150-643: The Sizzler brand. In May 2000, Sizzler International announced it would purchase an 82% stake in the Oscar's restaurant chain for $ 21 million in cash and stock. The chain was later renamed as Pat & Oscar's . In January 2009, the management team of Pat & Oscar's bought out the company. In 2013, Collins Foods acquired a 50% equity stake in Snag Stand, a gourmet sausage chain founded in 2011 by businessperson Philip Blanco. In 2016, Collins Foods acquired

1200-418: The U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application. Sole proprietors are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name, it is often necessary for them to get DBAs. Generally,

1250-561: The United States are owned by Thailand-based Minor International and are not related to the American firm. In September 2020, Sizzler USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 pandemic hurting sales. The bankruptcy filing does not affect the similarly named Minor International affiliated restaurants that are located outside of the United States. The chain was founded in 1958 as Sizzler Family Steak House by Del and Helen Johnson in Culver City, California . At its peak,

1300-488: The United States. In the 2013 financial year, Collins Foods reported stalling revenue for their Sizzler operations in Australia, blaming the downturn of the casual dining sector in the country. In June 2015, Collins Foods wrote down the value of Sizzler by AU$ 37.5 million. In an investors meeting by Collins Foods, CEO Graham Maxwell states: "We no longer consider Sizzler to be a strategic growth prospect in Australia and therefore we will not be investing further capital". At

1350-433: The bankruptcy. In 2006, all 28 Sizzler restaurants across Australia temporarily suspended salad bar service after rat poison was found in two Brisbane Sizzler restaurants. Sizzler Australia referred to the incidents as sabotage . The culprit turned out to be a woman described as being mentally unstable . In February 2008, PEP put Sizzler up for sale. In 2011, Sizzler USA acquired all Sizzler restaurants based in

1400-559: The brand's profitability. Based on these results, Collins Foods International expanded further into Asia in 1992. In the mid-1990s Sizzler International was expanding aggressively in the Pacific region; however, domestic sales began to return with losses. In 1996, after debts reached approximately US$ 100 million, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection . After some major restructuring and paying approximately US$ 70 million to creditors claims, Sizzler International recovered from

1450-526: The chain was composed of more than 270 locations throughout the U.S. Most of Sizzler's U.S. locations are in the West . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sizzler promoted steak and combination steak dinners with an optional salad bar . The restaurant wanted to give customers the feel of a full-service restaurant at a price slightly more than a fast food chain. To control costs, many restaurants had in-house meat cutters that would cut steaks and grind beef. Into

1500-615: The contract. According to archived snapshots of the official Sizzler China website, the Thailand-based Minor Food Group had seven Sizzler restaurants in China from May 2009 and November 2012. Sizzler opened a restaurant in Indonesia during the mid-1990s with the first location located at Jalan M.H. Thamrin with other locations notably in Jalan Sabang, Mal Kelapa Gading , and Mall Taman Anggrek but

1550-534: The county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission. DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a franchise . The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's brand name (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing mistake case, Donovan v. RRL Corp. , 26 Cal. 4th 261 (2001), where

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1600-400: The deal, Collins Foods also entered into a development agreement to open more than 20 KFC stores in the country by the end of 2021. In May 2023, Collins Foods acquired a further eight KFC restaurants. On 6 September 2018, Collins Foods announced that it has purchased the franchise rights to Taco Bell in Australia. Collins now has plans to roll out 50 Taco Bell stores across Australia over

1650-399: The early to mid 1980s, competition appeared: Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse . After promotions, such as all-you-can-eat fried shrimp, the chain expanded its salad bar into a full buffet promoted as the "Buffet Court". Patrons began to use the buffet as a meal instead of an add-on to an entree. In response, Sizzler lowered the quality in other menu areas. Sizzler also introduced

1700-428: The entity that is legally responsible . Legal agreements (such as contracts ) are normally made using the registered legal name of the business. If a corporation fails to consistently adhere to such important legal formalities like using its registered legal name in contracts, it may be subject to piercing of the corporate veil . In English , trade names are generally treated as proper nouns . In Argentina ,

1750-502: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on revenues. Collins Foods said of the three restaurant brands that it operates, Sizzler had been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Collins had closed all company-owned restaurants in 2020, Collins continued to license the use of the Sizzler restaurant brand for use in Thailand and Japan. In June 2023, it was announced that Collins would sell its Sizzler Asia business to Minor International for S$ 21 million, ending its relationship with

1800-402: The law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper. Several other states, such as Illinois , require print notices as well. In Uruguay , a trade name is known as a nombre fantasía , and the legal name of business

1850-461: The named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus car dealership doing business as " Lexus of Westminster ", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. . In California , filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local newspapers for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an assumed name . The intention of

1900-433: The next 5 years. As of 22 October 2023 , Collins Foods operates 27 Taco Bell restaurants in Australia. In the 1980s, the company's Sizzler business was struggling financially as popularity with the general public dipped. Sizzler appointed Thomas L. Gregory as president and CEO of the chain during this time. The Sizzler brand underwent changes in menu selection and customer experience, which proved to help bolster

1950-475: The next three years. The franchise also announced plans of installing more robot food delivery systems within each restaurant which would minimize human contact between dine-in customers and the restaurant staff which would in turn lessen the transmission of COVID and other diseases. The first Australian Sizzler steakhouse was opened in Brisbane in 1985. The steakhouses in Australia were reasonably popular during

2000-481: The phrase " doing business as " (abbreviated to DBA , dba , d.b.a. , or d/b/a ) is used, among others, such as assumed business name or fictitious business name . In Canada , " operating as " (abbreviated to o/a ) and " trading as " are used, although " doing business as " is also sometimes used. A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when

2050-443: The quality of food and increased prices. Twenty one locations closed in 2001. Sizzler began an image makeover circa 2002. A new restaurant concept was created, featuring a lighter and more open dining room. The changes were accompanied by a new menu. In an effort to return to its roots, Sizzler emphasized steaks, seafood, and the salad bar. While the all-you-can-eat buffet was phased out in some locations, it remained in many others. In

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2100-569: The remaining 48% owned by company management. As a result, the company headquarters moved from California to Brisbane , Australia. After the merger, it was renamed as Collins Foods. In 2011, Pacific Equity Partners offered its share of Collins Foods to an IPO , ending PEP's ownership of the company. In July 2020, Drew O'Malley took over as CEO following Graham Maxwell's retirement. As of 22 October 2023 , Collins Foods operates 275 KFC restaurants in Australia, 16 in Germany, and 56 in

2150-459: The surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The Companies Registration Office publishes a searchable register of such business names. In Japan , the word yagō ( 屋号 ) is used. In Colonial Nigeria , certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King Perekule VII of Bonny , who

2200-469: The term trade name to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names. In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including New York and Oregon , use the terms assumed business name or assumed name ; nearly as many, including Pennsylvania , use the term fictitious name . For consumer protection purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file

2250-468: The time of the fiscal announcement in 2015, Collins had 26 company-owned Sizzler restaurants across Australia and 61 franchised Sizzler restaurants around Asia. Collins Foods began to close a limited number of Sizzler restaurants in Australia, with greater focus directed to their KFC operations. Meanwhile, Sizzler operations in Asia continued to thrive, with further expansion plans in China. In 2016, Collins Foods operated 21 Sizzler restaurants in Australia,

2300-468: The wake of KFC Germany's plans to increase its store count from 140 to 300 stores in the next few years. Completion of the acquisition is expected to occur in December 2016. Collins Foods plans to open four to five new KFC restaurants per year in Germany for financial years 2017 to 2018. In March 2017, Collins Foods expanded into the Netherlands with the purchase of 16 KFC stores from subsidiaries of Yum! Brands for €62.3 million (A$ 87.8 million). As part of

2350-442: Was completed in 1991 for a total of US$ 123 million. The company was renamed as Sizzler International as efforts were increasingly focused on its Sizzler business. In 2001, the company was renamed as Worldwide Restaurant Concepts. In 2005, Worldwide Restaurant Concepts was acquired by Australian private equity firm, Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) for about US$ 208 million in cash. PEP owned 52% of Worldwide Restaurant Concepts with

2400-553: Was known as Captain Pepple in trade matters, and King Jubo Jubogha of Opobo , who bore the pseudonym Captain Jaja . Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official surnames upon their deaths. In Singapore , there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number. In

2450-469: Was renamed into American Grill in mid-2000s due to expiring licensing rights. According to archived snapshots of the official Sizzler Singapore website, Collins had three Sizzler restaurants in Singapore in December 2001. In March 2013, the company had two Sizzler restaurants in Singapore. In 2000, more than 60 people became ill and one person died in an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that originated at

2500-641: Was the majority owner of Pat & Oscar's in the US (until 2009). United States national, James Collins, founded Collins Foods International in Culver City, California , in 1968 after multiple meetings with Colonel Sanders and acquiring the Sizzler brand in 1967. Collins Foods International was a publicly traded American company with more than 240 Sizzler and KFC stores in the United States and Australia. Collins Foods International began selling off 209 United States–based KFC stores to PepsiCo in 1990. The sale

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