with antonio roma or tony romo . this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . november 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message tony roma s romacorp inc. type private industry restaurants founded north miami florida 1972 headquarters plano texas u.s. key people tony roma founder kenneth ken myres president bradley smith executive vice president and chief operating officer john brisco president of international jim rogers chief marketing officer products ribs steak chicken and seafood number of employees 1 725 2006 1 website tony roma s u.s. tony roma s asia pacific tony roma s is a casual dining chain restaurant specializing in baby back ribs . the first location was established in 1972 in north miami florida by the founder and today there are more than 150 locations in over 30 countries on six continents . 2 contents 1 history 2 locations 3 menu 4 retail products 5 gallery 6 countries and territories with restaurants 7 references 8 external links history edit tony roma 1923 2003 the driving force and namesake behind the casual dining eatery opened the first tony roma s in north miami on january 20 1972 . 3 prior to opening his self named restaurant tony roma was the food and beverage specialist for the playboy club . originally a steak and burger restaurant one weekend chef david smith grilled baby back ribs and served them with tony roma s bbq sauce . the ribs proved so popular they were added to the menu full time and quickly became what tony roma s was known for . tony roma s menu has further expanded to include seafood pasta chicken and sandwiches . 4 four years later in 1976 clint murchison jr. the owner of the dallas cowboys was in miami for super bowl x. murchison purchased the majority stake in the restaurant going on to become the driving force behind tony roma s international expansion . murchison and roma established roma corporation a jointly owned company that oversaw the restaurants and sold franchises . 5 in 1979 the first international location opened in tokyo japan and by 1983 ; there were 30 tony roma s restaurants around the world . during the mid 1980s roma corp s growth plan included opening more franchises rather than company owned stores . 5 murchison sold his shares in roma corp to his children in 1984 and kenneth reimer a murchison business associate took over as ceo of roma . tony roma himself also sold his interest in the company to the murchison children . 6 under reimer tony roma s expanded growing the menu opening more locations and remodeling older restaurants for a more modern feel . in 2002 frank steed took over as ceo and president of roma corp 7 and david grail became head of menu development . steed signed agreements to open an additional 60 tony roma s across south america europe and the middle east . 8 in 2001 original head chef david smith retired and tony roma s first executive chef bob gallagher came on board in 2006 . 6 in 2003 tony roma died in hemet ca at the age of 78 . 4 on march 3 2015 tony roma s launched tr fire grill in orlando fl a chef inspired american bistro with more locations planned for the following months . 9 locations edit tony roma s currently has more than 120 international stores across five continents . the original has 32 restaurants in the united states . 2 in 1976 tony roma s was one of the first us chain restaurants to expand into the international market opening their first store in japan . during the late 20th and early 21st centuries tony roma s expanded into europe south america australia and asia . tony roma s has also expanded to the middle east including the uae where the prince of dubai hamdan bin mohammed bin rashid al maktoum dines . 10 always looking for opportunities for growth tony roma s is consistently opening new restaurants in emerging markets worldwide . 2 in 2015 tony roma s became one of the first us based restaurants to open a store in myanmar when it opened a 6 400 square foot restaurant . 11 menu edit when the first tony roma s opened in the 1970s the restaurant was known for its burger and steaks until chef david smith cooked up some baby back ribs and they became an instant hit . 4 today the menu includes ribs burgers and steaks as well as a plethora of chicken and seafood dishes appetizers vegetarian options desserts and a posh cocktail list . many international locations offer additional options that conform to local customs . 12 tony roma s menu is constantly updated with specials new chef created dishes and seasonal cuisines . 13 in 2015 roma corp s new concept tr fire grill & lounge launched in orlando florida featuring modern american cuisine and modern cocktails . 14 retail products edit a number of entrees from the tony roma s menu are available as prepackaged frozen meals sold in supermarkets . the entrees are manufactured and distributed by rupari food services . 15 tony roma s original barbecue sauce is also available in supermarkets . gallery edit baby back ribs and onion loaf tony roma s in berlin countries and territories with restaurants edit countries with tony roma s restaurants aruba australia bahrain brazil canada chile colombia associate franchise people s republic of china hong kong costa rica cura ao dominican republic ecuador el salvador germany guam guatemala honduras indonesia ireland japan jordan malaysia myanmar 11 mexico northern mariana islands panama peru philippines puerto rico saudi arabia singapore spain thailand trinidad and tobago united arab emirates united kingdom united states of america venezuela references edit romacorp inc. google finance . finance.google.com . retrieved 2014 01 25 . a b c orlando sentinel 15 february 2015 . central florida restaurant chains push beyond u.s. borders . orlandosentinel.com . retrieved 23 december 2015 . barbara farfan . tony roma s restaurants mission statement mission headquarters founders facts history and trivia about tony roma s casual theme restaurant chain . about.com money . retrieved 23 december 2015 . a b c tony roma 78 began chain of rib restaurants nytimes.com a b about tony roma s . retrieved 23 december 2015 . a b history of romacorp inc. fundinguniverse . retrieved 23 december 2015 . steed to head tony roma s . retrieved 23 december 2015 . tony roma 78 ; restaurateur created world famous barbecued ribs recipe . latimes . retrieved 23 december 2015 . megan ribbens 4 march 2015 . romacorp debuts tr fire grill concept preps winter park location . orlando business journal . retrieved 23 december 2015 . time out dubai staff 17 february 2015 . dubai foodie news . time out dubai . retrieved 23 december 2015 . a b tony roma s opens first restaurant in myanmar . retrieved 23 december 2015 . eat s a treat at ayala malls . philstar.com . retrieved 23 december 2015 . mad vine media financial content . tony roma s introduces new menu inspired by the fresh flavors of a farmer s market boston.com . retrieved 23 december 2015 . 1 dead link rupari food services rolls out new tony roma s retail products from franchisesolutions.com external links edit corporate u.s website asia pacific website tony roma s canada tony roma s united kingdom media related to tony roma s at wikimedia commons v t e food chains in the united kingdom casual dining angus steakhouse ask beefeater grill bella italia brewers fayre byron hamburgers caf rouge carluccio s chiquito damon s ed s easy diner frankie & benny s giraffe gourmet burger kitchen harry ramsden s harvester hungry horse la tasca little chef loch fyne restaurants nando s ok diner pizza hut pizzaexpress prezzo strada table table taybarns t.g.i. friday s toby carvery tony roma s wagamama wahaca wildwood kitchen zizzi fast food barburrito burger king chicken cottage chipotle mexican grill dixy chicken domino s pizza five guys kfc mcdonald s morley s papa john s pizza sam s chicken sbarro southern fried chicken subway taco bell tops pizza tortilla wasabi wimpy yo sushi baked goods auntie anne s cinnabon cooplands ditsch dunkin donuts eat greggs krispy kreme millie s cookies patisserie valerie pret a manger sayers spudulike upper crust the west cornwall pasty company coffee shops and tea rooms amt coffee betty s caff nero caff ritazza coffee 1 coffee republic costa coffee harris hoole starbucks dairy baskin robbins ben & jerry s kaspa s shakeaway pub chains all bar one chef & brewer o neill s scream pubs slug and lettuce walkabout wetherspoons yates s v t e fast food and fast casual restaurant chains in the united states chicken chains coffeehouse chains pizza chains hamburgers a & w back yard big boy burger king carl s jr. checkers rally s cook out fatburger five guys freddy s fuddruckers the habit hardee s in n out jack in the box johnny rockets krystal mcdonald s roy rogers shake shack smashburger sonic steak n shake wayback wendy s whataburger white castle asian l & l hawaiian barbecue manchu wok panda express pei wei asian diner pick up stix sarku baked goods au bon pain auntie anne s bruegger s cinnabon corner bakery cafe dunkin donuts einstein bros. great american cookies honey dew donuts krispy kreme mrs. fields nestl toll house panera bread pretzelmaker pretzel time shipley do nuts tim hortons t.j. cinnamons wetzel s winchell s beverages argo tea biggby coffee caribou coffee bean & tea leaf coffee beanery dunn bros gloria jean s jamba juice juice it up orange julius peet s planet smoothie robeks seattle s best coffee smoothie king starbucks teavana tropical smoothie cafe tully s frozen desserts baskin robbins ben & jerry s braum s bruster s carvel cold stone culver s dairy queen dippin dots fosters freeze friendly s golden spoon graeter s h agen dazs handel s kiwi yogurt maggiemoo s marble slab menchie s pinkberry red mango rita s sweet frog tastee freez tcby tropical sno tutti frutti yogen fr z yogurtland hot dogs hot dog on a stick nathan s famous portillo s wienerschnitzel mexican style tex mex baja fresh cafe rio chipotle del taco el pollo loco freebirds green red burrito moe s pancheros qdoba rubio s taco bell taco bueno taco cabana taco del mar taco john s taco mayo taco time wahoo s fish taco noodles fazoli s noodles & company sandwiches arby s atlanta bread blimpie capriotti s charley s cos cousins d angelo daphne s erbert & gerbert s firehouse subs great wraps jason s jerry s subs jersey mike s jimmy john s lenny s sub mcalister s deli miami subs mr. hero newk s eatery penn station port of subs pdq potbelly quiznos rax runza sandella s schlotzsky s steak escape subway togo s tubby s tudor s biscuit world which wich seafood arthur treacher s captain d s h. salt esquire ivar s long john silver s skippers seafood & chowder house defunct bresler s ice cream brigham s burger chef carrols d lites druther s henry s hamburgers hot n now hot sam pretzels naugles red barn sandy s zantigo retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title tony roma % 27s & oldid 743719158 categories barbecue restaurantscompanies based in dallasrestaurant chains in singaporerestaurants in floridarestaurants established in 1972restaurants in malaysiarestaurants in singaporehidden categories all articles with dead external linksarticles with dead external links from december 2015articles with a promotional tone from november 2011all articles with a promotional tonepages using infobox company with unsupported parameterscommons category without a link on wikidata navigation menu personal tools