Steak and Ale

by Steak and Ale

1966 – 2008 IT CAME BACK

Back since July 8, 2024, when a new Steak and Ale opened inside a Wyndham hotel in Burnsville, Minnesota; the first Southern franchise was announced for Anderson, South Carolina in June 2026.

Last verified Nov 7, 2026

Norman Brinker's 1966 Dallas invention: mock-Tudor walls, dark wood, a salad bar and affordable steak — the template for a generation of casual dining. On July 29, 2008 it filed Chapter 7, and every company store went dark at once.

🧾 One more thingIt skipped the usual slow goodbye — Chapter 7 liquidation, not Chapter 11 reorganization — closing so abruptly that the company declined to tell the trade press how many restaurants had just ceased to exist.

Filed under: Fast Food · the ’70s & earlier

🎲 Remember another one 🛒 Test your memory

📅 Timeline

1966Norman Brinker opens the first Steak and Ale in Dallas.
2008July 29 — parent S&A Restaurant Corp files Chapter 7 in Sherman, Texas, and every company-owned store closes at once; the chain had about 55 Steak and Ale units.
2024July 8 — Steak and Ale returns after sixteen years, opening inside the Wyndham Nicollet Inn in Burnsville, Minnesota.
2026June — Legendary Restaurant Brands announces the first Southern franchise, in Anderson, South Carolina.

❓ People also ask

Is Steak and Ale coming back?

It's already back — a new location opened in Burnsville, Minnesota in July 2024, sixteen years after the chain died, and franchising into the South was announced in 2026.

What happened to Steak and Ale?

Chapter 7 liquidation on July 29, 2008. Unlike a reorganization, that meant immediate shutdown — every company store closed that day.

🧾 Sources

Nation's Restaurant News, S&A files for bankruptcy, closes stores (2008)
FSR Magazine, After 16 Years, Steak and Ale Officially Opens Its First New Location (2024)
Franchising.com (brand release), Steak and Ale Makes Triumphant Return (2024)

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