Obituaries In The News

The Associated Press

Norman Brinker

DALLAS (AP) — Norman Brinker, a restaurant mogul who popularized the salad bar and built a worldwide casual dining empire that includes Chili's Grill & Bar, died Tuesday. He was 78.

Brinker died at a hospital in Colorado, said Robin Rymer at Swan-Law Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. He suffered complications related to pneumonia while on vacation, Brinker International Inc. spokeswoman Stacey Sullivan said.

Before retiring as chairman of Dallas-based Brinker International in 2000, he had built the chain of more than 1,000 casual-dining restaurants. The company now has 1,700 restaurants in 27 countries, according to its Web site.

Brinker was born in Colorado and grew up in Roswell, N.M. He moved to Dallas in the 1960s and started a coffee shop before developing the concept for Steak & Ale restaurants — a chain he established in the mid-1960s where he's credited with popularizing the salad bar and casual dining.

He sold Steak & Ale to Pillsbury Co. in the early 1970s and went to work for Pillsbury's restaurant division. During his time at Pillsbury's restaurant division, he created the Bennigan's chain and became known for creating a chain concept of upscale eateries intended to attract singles.