Building Something Bigger
Over the last two decades, we’ve established ourselves as pioneers in the QSR industry.
OUR STORY
A meeting in 2006 was the start of a vision that soon transformed DRG into the largest and fastest-growing franchisee in the U.S. Explore the timeline below to see just how we did it.
DRG THROUGH THE YEARS
David Grieve and SG Ellison meet during a real estate transaction in Albuquerque, NM. They cultivate a relationship that soon becomes a lifelong partnership.
SG starts First Street Development (FSD) with David as a lead investment partner. It becomes a premier build-to-suit provider and DRG’s future development branch.
SG and David take the first step to becoming a large franchisee business by acquiring 72 Taco Bells in the Bay Area and another 13 in other parts of Northern California.
We add 63 Las Vegas and Reno Taco Bells to our portfolio. This solidifies our status as the exclusive Taco Bell franchisee of Las Vegas.
We open the second-ever Taco Bell Cantina in the brand’s system, located across from the Giants Stadium in downtown San Francisco, CA.
Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, we open the world’s first Taco Bell Cantina with a wedding chapel.
As we expand east into new states, we acquire 39 more Taco Bells in Kansas and Missouri.
David is appointed to the Taco Bell Foundation board. He introduces the Round Up initiative to the brand, which has since raised over $150 million for youth education.
We add “the meats” to the DRG mix: Our first Arby’s acquisition includes 16 restaurants, the majority of which are in Nevada.
On the sands of Pacifica Beach, CA, we transform what was once an A&W into the iconic Taco Bell Cantina it is today — complete with ocean views and a surfboard rack.
During the COVID pandemic, we provide meals to thousands of frontline workers and give financial support to team members companywide.
We acquire six Alaska Arby’s locations, adding another state to the DRG portfolio.
It’s a big year for development! We add two more Cantinas in San Ramon and Danville, CA.
Our Fairbanks, AK restaurant breaks Arby’s opening week sales record by hitting over $160k!
We expand into Southern California, adding 75 Taco Bells across San Diego and Los Angeles.
We open the first digitally advanced, order-on-the-app Go Mobile Taco Bell on the West Coast.
After tremendous team member growth in both the field and office, we open our new headquarters and Restaurant Support Center (RSC) in Las Vegas, NV.
Our south San Francisco, CA Taco Bell becomes one of the first quick service restaurants to offer EV charging stations, a solar carport and electric battery storage.
We start our Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) to empower female leaders across the organization.
In San Francisco, CA, we open a state-of-the-art Ghost Kitchen, complete with food-delivery robots.
We become the highest-grossing franchisee across the entire Taco Bell system!
Born from a conversation between SG and Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant, we open the world’s first Live Más Café in Chula Vista, CA.
We launch the first Arby’s Food Truck in Las Vegas, NV, giving both food truck guests and private event-goers a brand experience like no other.
We open a Taco Bell Cantina in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The restaurant’s interior design elements pay homage to the city’s historic music scene.
We’re named QSR Magazine’s 2025 Franchisee of the Year, the second-ever business to be awarded the title.
In collaboration with Taco Bell, we commit to opening 15 more Live Más Cafés throughout Southern California and Las Vegas, NV.
Our 10th Cantina opens in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf as one of the first projects in the area’s revitalization project. The restaurant features a nautical design, including port holes looking into the kitchen.
ROOTED IN REAL ESTATE
In 2013, SG founded a build-to-suit provider for franchisees called First Street Development (FSD), with David as a lead investment partner. Over the course of the next decade, the two would transform FSD into DRG’s full-service retail and restaurant development company.