Western Sizzlin’, stylized as WesterN SizzliN, is a chain of privately held and publicly held retail buffet restaurants and steakhouses,[2] with its headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia. The company has 46 franchise establishments located across 13 U.S. states generally in the southeast (aside from Florida). It is a subsidiary of Biglari Holdings which is controlled by Iranian American businessman Sardar Biglari. The Western Sizzlin' business model was conceived in 1962, by Nick Pascarella, and founded the same year in Augusta, Georgia as: WesterN SizzliN Steak & More Restaurant.[3][4] In conceiving the business, Pasceralla reasoned that, "If searing the bottom of the steak made it juicy, adding flames to the top would make them twice as good.";[3] leading to its renowned searing process trademarked as the FlameKist steak.[4]