This fast casual restaurant chain is the place to go for “Home style meals”. They brand themselves as a chain that serves quality, delicious, generous, home-style meals. They offer everything you would expect at a traditional family dinner: meat loaf, turkey, rotisserie chick, corn bread, sweet corn.

Boston Market’s food philosophy is to serve good, quality food for all the family to enjoy. Their locations are designed with your dining pleasure in mind. They believe that dinner should be a time to relax, enjoy your food and take pleasure in some good company and this is something that they consistently achieve.

History

The restaurant was started by Steven Kolow and Arthur Cores in Newton, Massachusetts in 1984. The brand was a huge success and due to it’s popularity it expanded extremely rapidly. The company’s original focus was their legendary rotisserie chicken and they were initially called Boston Chicken. It was in 1995 that they changed their name to Boston Market to reflect the growing diversity in their menu.

After such an extreme expansion in the early years, the company hit some troubled waters and in 1998 they had to declare bankruptcy. However, in 2000 McDonalds purchased the chain with the intention of making use of the real estate. But the company decided that Boston Market was a salvageable brand and continued with expansion.

In 1999, the business was so popular that the company branched into selling their own brand ready meals in supermarkets. This was a massive hit and helped with solidifying the brand’s name as a family favorite. By 2007 the company had grown to 530 stores across 28 states. It was also during this peak period that McDonalds sold the franchise to Sun Capital Partners.

Nowadays, Sun Capital Partners have remained true to Boston Market’s core values. They have over 460 stores, the majority of which are in the North Eastern US. The restaurants still pride themselves on providing fast, nutritional, delicious, home-style meals and an enjoyable dining experience for the whole family. 

Review

This company stands apart from other fast-food restaurants particularly through their style of menu.  It is a traditionally all-American menu: rotisserie chicken, ribs, meatloaf, turkey, sandwiches, bowls, sides, soups, salads, desserts and an impressive family meals section. As a fast casual restaurant, they further pride themselves on being a healthier alternative to typical fast-food establishments.

Their locations are also designed with family dining in mind. Their restaurants are clean, warm and inviting, with modern equipment. Many of the locations are set up in a buffet style way, whereby you go up to the counter and you can see exactly what they have on offer. You also have to option to eat-in or, if you’re ordering for more than five people they can deliver your order directly to your house.

The staff are always smiling, attentive and eager to please and try to make your visit as pleasant as possible. With their large menu and generous portions you may be struggling with what to order. However, one of their most popular items is their quarter rack of BBQ ribs with quarter chicken; add some of their legendary corn bread as a side and you’re good to go.

While their prices are a little higher than other comparable restaurants, they are still competitive. For a sandwich or bowl you’ll be looking at between $5 to $7, while a kids meal will set you back a mere $5. Their ‘family meals’ are particularly affordable and range from $20 to $40, depending on whether you’re feeding three or six people. Overall, their food is consistently: fresh, tasty and nutritionally balanced. Their service is prompt and personable. Try your local Boston Market today, take the whole family, you’ll all leave with full bellies and big smiles on your faces.

Update: Boston markets continue to be one of the top dining options