Back Bay Restaurant Group
Back Bay Restaurant Group was a Boston-based American restaurant company that operated upscale dining chains across the East Coast before selling most of its restaurants and ultimately closing its remaining locations.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Back Bay Restaurant Group was an American multi-unit restaurant company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It developed and operated a portfolio of upscale and polished casual dining concepts, with its principal geographic concentration in New England and a broader presence along the East Coast. The group’s best-known restaurant names included Abe & Louie’s, Atlantic Fish Co., Coach Grill, J.C. Hillary’s, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, and Papa Razzi. The company was established in 1992 when it was spun off from Charles Sarkis’s Westwood Group. It entered the public markets with 14 restaurants and an initial NASDAQ listing under the ticker PAPA. The flotation gave Back Bay Restaurant Group a corporate structure and capital base for expanding its collection of full-service restaurants. Its concepts generally occupied the upper end of the casual-dining and upscale-dining spectrum, emphasizing recognizable American, steakhouse, seafood, and Italian-oriented restaurant formats rather than a single national consumer brand. The company’s public-market period became difficult during the 1990s. By 1999, its share price had fallen from the original offering price of $17 to approximately $3.50. A shareholder holding 25 percent of the company also sought to exit. In response, Sarkis took Back Bay Restaurant Group private again in a transaction valued at $38 million. The private-company phase allowed the group to continue operating and consolidating its restaurant portfolio outside the pressures of public ownership. By 2002, Back Bay Restaurant Group operated 35 restaurants on the East Coast. Its portfolio included multiple locations under the Joe’s American Bar & Grill and Papa Razzi names, together with flagship or regional concepts such as Abe & Louie’s, Atlantic Fish Co., Coach Grill, and J.C. Hillary’s. The business therefore functioned less as a single restaurant storefront brand than as a house of restaurant concepts, using differentiated menus and identities to address steakhouse, seafood, Italian, and American dining occasions. The company later faced significant strain. In 2010, Charles Sarkis’s health deteriorated seriously, while the closure of his separate Wonderland Greyhound Park business contributed to financial pressure. In 2011, Back Bay Restaurant Group sold 33 restaurants to Tavistock Restaurants LLC. The transaction included 15 Joe’s American Bar & Grill locations, 12 Papa Razzi restaurants, and Abe & Louie’s, described as the group’s flagship enterprise. The sale substantially reduced Back Bay’s operating footprint while transferring important concepts to a new owner. The divestiture process continued in March 2012, when seven Papa Razzi locations were sold to Newport Harbor Group. Back Bay subsequently wound down its remaining Massachusetts operations. In December 2013, the company closed its last two Massachusetts restaurants, a Papa Razzi location and the Joe’s American Bar & Grill in Hanover. The remaining two restaurants, both in New Jersey, closed at the end of March 2018. These closures marked the end of the company’s direct restaurant operations. The history of Back Bay Restaurant Group illustrates the changing economics of regional full-service dining companies: a rapid expansion from a local portfolio, a public-market phase, a return to private ownership, portfolio sales, and eventual dissolution. Some restaurant concepts continued after divestiture under successor ownership, but the Back Bay Restaurant Group itself no longer operated as an active restaurant company after its remaining New Jersey locations closed.
History
Back Bay Restaurant Group originated in 1992 as a spin-off from Charles Sarkis’s Westwood Group. The new company began with 14 restaurants and became publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol PAPA. Its strategy was to operate a collection of differentiated, full-service restaurant concepts rather than a single standardized chain. The portfolio included upscale steakhouses, seafood restaurants, Italian-oriented dining concepts, and American bar-and-grill formats. The company’s public listing did not produce sustained stock-market growth. By 1999, the share price had declined to about $3.50 from the $17 offering price, and a shareholder with a 25 percent stake sought to sell. Sarkis responded by taking the company private in a $38 million transaction. Back Bay continued expanding as a private restaurant operator and by 2002 had 35 East Coast restaurants. Its brands at that stage included Abe & Louie’s, Atlantic Fish Co., Coach Grill, J.C. Hillary’s, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, and Papa Razzi. The later history of the group was shaped by financial and personal pressures. Sarkis’s health declined substantially in 2010, and the closure of Wonderland Greyhound Park, another business associated with him, added to the strain. In 2011, Back Bay sold 33 restaurants to Tavistock Restaurants LLC. The transaction included 15 Joe’s American Bar & Grill locations, 12 Papa Razzi restaurants, and Abe & Louie’s. In March 2012, seven Papa Razzi locations were sold to Newport Harbor Group. Following these transactions, Back Bay’s remaining operating base contracted. The company closed its final two Massachusetts restaurants in December 2013: Papa Razzi and Joe’s American Bar & Grill in Hanover. Two New Jersey restaurants remained until the end of March 2018, when they also closed. Charles Sarkis died on March 11, 2018, aged 78. Some former concepts, especially Joe’s American Bar & Grill, continued under successor ownership after the Back Bay portfolio sales, but those operations were no longer owned by Back Bay Restaurant Group. The company is consequently treated as defunct.
- 2018
Final restaurants close
[1]The group’s remaining two New Jersey restaurants closed at the end of March.
- 2013
Massachusetts operations end
[1]The company closed its last two Massachusetts restaurants.
- 2012
Seven Papa Razzi locations sold
[1]Newport Harbor Group acquired seven Papa Razzi restaurants.
- 2011
Sale of 33 restaurants to Tavistock
[1]Tavistock Restaurants LLC acquired 33 restaurants, including major Joe’s American Bar & Grill and Papa Razzi holdings and Abe & Louie’s.
- 2002
Portfolio reaches 35 restaurants
[1]Back Bay Restaurant Group operated 35 restaurants across the East Coast and included six named restaurant concepts in its portfolio.
- 1999
Return to private ownership
[1]Charles Sarkis took the company private in a transaction valued at $38 million after a substantial stock-price decline.
- 1992
Company founded through a spin-off
[1]Back Bay Restaurant Group was created as a spin-off from Charles Sarkis’s Westwood Group, beginning with 14 restaurants.
- 1992
NASDAQ public offering
[1]The company went public on NASDAQ under the ticker PAPA at $17 per share.
Products and positioning
A regional restaurant-company platform built around upscale and polished casual dining concepts, primarily serving New England and other East Coast markets.
Upscale steakhouse
Abe & Louie’s
Abe & Louie’s was the flagship restaurant enterprise associated with Back Bay Restaurant Group. It represented the company’s upscale dining positioning and was among the assets transferred to Tavistock Restaurants LLC in 2011.
Seafood restaurant
Atlantic Fish Co.
Atlantic Fish Co. was one of the group’s named seafood-oriented restaurant concepts. It formed part of the broader multi-concept portfolio operated by Back Bay Restaurant Group during its expansion across the East Coast.
Upscale American restaurant
Coach Grill
Coach Grill was an upscale restaurant concept in Back Bay Restaurant Group’s portfolio. The available reference identifies it as one of the group’s principal chains but does not provide sufficient detail about its menu, locations, or later ownership.
Full-service restaurant
J.C. Hillary’s
J.C. Hillary’s was one of the restaurant chains operated by Back Bay Restaurant Group by 2002. The available reference confirms its place in the portfolio but does not document its specific culinary format or subsequent ownership.
American bar and grill
Joe’s American Bar & Grill
Joe’s American Bar & Grill was a major polished-casual concept in the group’s portfolio. Fifteen locations were included in the 2011 sale to Tavistock Restaurants LLC. Back Bay later closed its Hanover, Massachusetts location in 2013, while some restaurants continued under Tavistock ownership before subsequent closures.
Italian restaurant
Papa Razzi
Papa Razzi was an Italian-oriented restaurant chain and one of Back Bay Restaurant Group’s largest concepts. Twelve locations were sold to Tavistock in 2011, followed by the sale of seven locations to Newport Harbor Group in 2012. Back Bay closed its final Massachusetts Papa Razzi restaurant in 2013.
Brand decisions
2013
Closure of final Massachusetts restaurantsStrategyBackground
After its major portfolio divestitures, Back Bay retained only a reduced number of operating locations.
Action taken
The company closed its remaining Massachusetts Papa Razzi and Joe’s American Bar & Grill restaurants.
Aftermath
Only two New Jersey restaurants remained until their closure in March 2018.
2012
Sale of seven Papa Razzi locationsM&ABackground
The company continued to divest restaurant assets after the 2011 Tavistock transaction.
Action taken
Seven Papa Razzi locations were sold to Newport Harbor Group.
Aftermath
Back Bay’s remaining restaurant portfolio continued to contract.
2011
Sale of 33 restaurants to Tavistock RestaurantsM&ABackground
The group was under financial strain while Charles Sarkis’s health was deteriorating.
Action taken
Back Bay sold 33 restaurants to Tavistock Restaurants LLC, including 15 Joe’s American Bar & Grill locations, 12 Papa Razzi restaurants, and Abe & Louie’s.
Aftermath
The transaction substantially reduced Back Bay Restaurant Group’s operating footprint and transferred major concepts to Tavistock.
1999
Take-private transactionStrategyBackground
Back Bay Restaurant Group’s stock had declined substantially after its public offering, and a shareholder holding 25 percent wanted to exit.
Action taken
Charles Sarkis took the company private in a transaction valued at $38 million.
Aftermath
The company continued as a private restaurant operator and later reached 35 East Coast restaurants.
Take-private transaction value. $38 million transaction (1999)
Sources1 sources
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