Sizzler

In 1957 young restaurateurs in California, Del & Helen Johnson decided to try an idea for a new restaurant which they had read about in the Wall Street Journal – a ‘self service budget steakhouse’, so the first Sizzler Restaurant opened on January 27, 1958. The menu was simple – two types of steak plus a small salad and bread rolls. By the early sixties, Del and Helen added a hamburger sandwich and had expanded to three locations in Los Angeles. Sizzler’s rapid growth continued through the seventies and with this growth, the concept evolved, changing from being totally self-serve to the ‘Sizzler Service’ concept, which combines the best features of self-service and service-to-the-customer at their table.