A veteran restaurant executive who has led several of America’s best-known chains says the upscale casual segment is ready for growth. G.J. Hart, CEO of Nashville-based SPB Hospitality, believes the category offers customers a better balance of value, quality and experience than many dining alternatives.
Hart, who has held leadership roles at Texas Roadhouse, California Pizza Kitchen and Red Robin, said SPB is positioning J. Alexander’s as a major growth vehicle. “It’s a space that, from my perspective, my thesis is that it will continue to resonate with consumers, because you’ve got a pretty decent value for a great experience,” Hart told FOX Business.
J. Alexander’s has been around for decades and carries a loyal customer base in its established markets. “There’s a ton of opportunity to grow [J. Alexander’s] in those strong markets and build out from those core markets and fill a need that’s out there,” Hart said.
Unlike fast food and standard casual dining, upscale casual remains dominated by regional operators rather than a few coast-to-coast giants. Hart sees that as an advantage for SPB, saying a larger J. Alexander’s could become a stronger national competitor in a part of the restaurant business that is still wide open.
Bread so good it deserves its own moment. pic.twitter.com/U1ZPzduXyT
— Texas Roadhouse (@texasroadhouse) June 24, 2026
“When you think about who the real players [are] in upscale casual, it’s mostly regional players,” Hart said. “Us becoming bigger will help us get stronger in that space, and I think it’s a space that’s there for the taking.”
SPB’s portfolio includes J. Alexander’s, Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill, Krystal, and chef-driven brands such as Amada and Village Whiskey. The company has reorganized its business around a strategy called the SPB Playbook, which emphasizes consistent operations, strong culture and disciplined growth.
The company plans to open six to eight restaurants each year as it builds its next phase of growth. J. Alexander’s alone is expected to open five locations in 2026, followed by seven in 2027 and eight in 2028, including current or planned sites in Plano and Prosper, Texas, and The Battery Atlanta.
Hart said the company is not pursuing growth just to add locations. “We’re going where we know we’ll win,” he said. “That means being thoughtful about where and how we grow and making sure we have the right teams in place before we do.”
He said SPB is focusing on infrastructure, employee training and building a management pipeline before moving ahead with new openings. The approach reflects lessons he said apply across every restaurant brand: strong leadership, good communication and making sure workers have a voice in operations.
Hart said the long-term challenge is staying relevant as customer preferences keep changing. “What I’ve learned in all these brands and now bring to [J. Alexander’s] and SPB is this idea around relevancy,” he said. “How do you stay relevant for today’s ever evolving consumer and consumer needs and consumer wants?”