Bonefish Grille is a casual, full service chain restaurant with nearly two hundred locations throughout the United States. The chain is owned by the Bloomin’ Brands company, which also includes popular restaurants Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill. John Cooper is the current president.

As its name suggests, the eatery primarily features seafood items. The restaurant’s commitment to quality, consistency, and authenticity has allowed it to expand all across the nation since its foundation over fifteen years ago. This eatery focuses on their fish, constantly ensuring that customers will get what they pay for and feel confident doing so. The quality of their food has helped develop the company into a reputable place to enjoy a wide variety of seafood and other American cuisine.

History

While its headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, the first Bonefish Grille restaurant opened in St. Petersburg, Florida in January of the year 2000. The chain was founded by Tim Curci and Chris Parker. These two men actually helped with the construction of the first three locations. In October of the following year, the three restaurant locations were acquired by Bloomin’ Brands.

Within the next five years, the company opened its one hundredth location. In the following year, 2007, an additional 23 locations were opened. Even though locations have expanded throughout the country, dozens of its locations exist in its home state of Florida. As they continued to grow, they partnered with Ocean Trust, a reputable conservation organization which focuses on the preservation of fish as well as the ocean as a whole. To this day, Bonefish Grille donates one dollar for every Ocean Trust Mango Martini sold in their establishment.

The company also has a history of partnering with other notable charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Operation Feeding Freedom mission, a charity that feeds United States soldiers stationed in other companies food from their home country. The restaurant has been known for compensating meals for military members who dine with them.

On January 14, 2016, Technomic announced Bonefish Grille as the winner of the “2016 Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Awards” in the category of food quality for full service restaurants. The company’s continuous devotion to the quality of its food has earned the name countless other awards, such as the MenuMasters award in March of 2015.

Review

What sets Bonefish Grille apart from some of its other popular chain counterparts is their commitment to the fish they cook and serve each and every day. From the foundation of the very first location in 2000 until now, they have been devoted to serving authentic products at all of their locations. They receive, carefully inspect, and freshly cut all of their fish every single day. In order to accomplish their goal of the best food quality possible, the company periodically conducts DNA testing on its fish to verify species accuracy. They also regularly involve themselves in ocean research, including the discovery of new species.

An interesting and unique fact about this company is that many of its menu items are named after people who are direct relatives of both the founder and president of the company. For example, Jen’s Jamaican Coconut Pie is named after Tim Curci’s wife, Jen. The entree Sir Will’s Fish & Chips is named after restaurant president John Cooper’s son.

The majority of the fish are prepared in a wood-grilled style. One of the most talked-about fish served is the salmon, but the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer is by far the most popular item on the entire menu. This item has been on the menu since 2001 and has experienced extreme popularity throughout the years. Currently, the restaurant runs a special on this appetizer on Wednesday nights for 6 dollars. All of the locations also feature a fully stocked bar which includes an extensive list of unique martini options. Although the menu is the main attraction of the restaurant, it also holds a high reputation for its service and cleanliness.

As it continues to expand, this establishment has periodically begun to experience with serving full service lunch. Several of its restaurants are now continuously serving brunch on the weekends. Their brunch menu consists of some unique seafood breakfast items, including omelets. Currently, the restaurant also features an excellent bargain of a 3-course meal for nearly 15 dollars. It is recommended to request a reservation if choosing to dine at any location during normal dinner hours as wait times can regularly be an hour on average.