BJ's Restaurants, Inc. is an American restaurant chain, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California.[2][3] The chain operates under the names BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ's Grill, and BJ's Pizza & Grill.
History
BJ's was founded in 1978 by Jim Kozen and Leonard Allenstein.[4] It first opened in Santa Ana, California, as BJ's Chicago Pizzeria.[5] The original name was BJ Grunts, but due to a federal trademark conflict with RJ Grunts, a Chicago-based hamburger restaurant, the name was changed.[6] Shortly after the opening of the first restaurant, Mike Phillips and Bill Cunningham bought 50% of the company for $14,000. Kozen and Allenstein left the group after the opening of the seventh store.[7]