Born and raised in Southern California, Chris Simms has been involved in the restaurant business all his life. While attending Cornell University, Chris worked his way up the ladder through various restaurants both in the kitchen and the dining room and began working for P.F. Chang’s China Bistro when he graduated.
After three years with P.F. Chang’s, Chris decided to continue his education in the restaurant industry by beginning work with Mimi’s Café, the restaurant company founded by his father, Tom Simms. Chris and his team opened thefirst Lazy Dog in Huntington Beach, CA in 2003.
Lazy Dog serves handcrafted American food and drink with seasonally-inspired ingredients. When you walk in, you get a small mountain town vibe from the warm, caring service and the rustic social setting. Lazy Dog is a great place to get together with friends and family, making it the casual dining choice for the next generation.
As CEO, Chris keeps a close eye on operations while guiding the concept and developing new sites resulting in the 30th Lazy Dog opened in Chicago, IL in December of 2018.
Chris and his team look forward to executing an aggressive, yet prudent growth plan over the next several years that will include openings in markets across the country.