Brinker Plans 40-Restaurant Expansion in Southland

Mention the name Brinker International to the typical Orange County diner and you’re likely to get a blank stare.

But the Dallas-based casual restaurant giant is well-known in the food-service industry, and it is planning a sizable expansion in Southern California.

Over the next three years, Brinker plans to build about 40 additional restaurants in the Southland, nearly doubling its presence here. The expansion will cost about $100 million and generate about 3,000 new jobs, company spokesman Randy Hargrove said.

Brinker currently operates 45 restaurants in the region, most of them under the Chili’s Grill & Bar and Romano’s Macaroni Grill flags.

Much of the expansion will be based on two of Brinker’s most popular concepts, Maggiano’s Little Italy, a traditional Italian restaurant that serves large portions, and Corner Bakery, a salad, sandwich and soup place. Brinker recently opened a combination of two at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

Other formats on tap for Southern California include Chili’s Too, a scaled-down version of Chili’s; Eatzi’s Market & Bakery, a market and gourmet takeout outlet; Big Bowl, an Asian noodle eatery; Cozymel’s, which serves coastal Mexican cuisine, and On the Border, another Tex-Mex concept.

In December, Metro Border, a Brinker franchisee, announced plans to build 10 On the Borders in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

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Russ Stanton covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5609 and at russ.stanton@latimes.com