• Baby back ribs are actually a relatively new menu item in the U.S.
• The chain that made the famous has gotten much smaller.
• Multiple efforts have been made to revive the brand.

While Chili’s gets a lot of credit for making baby back ribs a menu staple, that’s more due to its 1986 commercial with the ear-worm jingle everyone knows.

It was a simple song with lyrics you simply can’t forget.

The ribs being sung about, however, trace their restaurant roots, at least on a national level, to a different chain many have forgotten about: Tony Roma’s.

“The first Tony Roma’s was opened in North Miami, Florida on January 20, 1972. Soon after Tony Roma’s signature item, the Baby Back Ribs emerged as one of the house specialties,” the chain shared on its website.

Now, that once-thriving restaurant brand has seen its store count in the United States dip from a peak of around 170 locations nationally to only nine.

Tony Roma’s has struggled

One of the most recent Tony Roma’s locations to close, the one in West Palm Beach, was basically walking distance from where my wife, son, and I used to live. We ate there fairly often, and the experience was hit or miss.

The signature baby back ribs were always good, but the beef ribs varied from decent to impossibly tough, and the chicken ranged from dry to very dry.

In a crowded restaurant market, the chain seemed oddly positioned as not quite a steakhouse, and not quite a casual Chili’s-style sports bar model.

It probably did not help that the West Palm location was in a hotel a few miles from downtown. The location was not overly inviting, and while you could order delivery or takeout, it was generally more expensive than similar options (Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday, and local chain Duffy’s, to name a few).

The chain has not hidden from its problems, and former CEO Ramon Bourgeois acknowledged the need for change in a 2022 press release.

“Casual dining has had its challenges through the years,” Bourgeois said. “These were great restaurants back in the 1990s when everyone was building 250-seat restaurants. The dynamics have changed. People are eating differently.”

That was a theme former Chief Marketing Officer Jim Rogers brought up back in 2017.

“When I joined Tony Roma’s three years ago we were a brand that I knew that I loved but had been around and frankly was getting tired,” he told FSR Magazine. “It was something we needed to address, in many ways.”

Baby back ribs have become a menu staple.

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A history of baby back ribs in American dining

• 1930s-1940s: Baby back ribs primarily served in home cooking and local barbecue joints in the U.S., especially in the Southern states. They were smaller, more tender cuts of pork, often reserved for family meals.
• 1960s: Ribs gain attention in regional BBQ restaurants, particularly in Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas. Baby back ribs begin appearing on restaurant menus as part of barbecue platters.
• 1972: Tony Roma’s opens its first location in North Miami, Florida, and adds Baby Back Ribs to the menu. The ribs quickly become the signature item, popularizing them nationwide. Source: Tony Roma’s
• 1970s-1980s: Baby back ribs expand beyond Southern BBQ joints into casual dining chains such as Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, and TGI Fridays. Restaurants emphasize tender, fall-off-the-bone preparation and signature sauces.
• 1980s-1990s: Baby back ribs cement their status as a staple menu item in American casual dining; promotions like “Rib Nights” or “Half-Rack Specials” become common.
• 2000s: Fast-casual and family dining chains including Chili’s, Famous Dave’s, and Tony Roma’s continue to lead the national promotion of baby back ribs; innovations like dry rubs, glazes, and combo platters increase their popularity.
• 2010s-present: Baby back ribs are a standard feature on menus in both casual and upscale BBQ restaurants. Source: Serious Eats, Nino Salvaggio, The Daily Meal

Tony Roma’s timeline

• 1972: First Tony Roma’s opens in North Miami, Florida.
• 1976: Clint Murchison Jr. acquires most U.S. franchise rights, co-founds Roma Corporation with Tony Roma.
• 1979: First international location opens in Tokyo, Japan.
• 2012: 40th anniversary celebrated with 170 locations worldwide.
• 2017: Debut of new global prototype restaurant in Orlando, Florida.
• 2022: 50th anniversary; announces plans for growth and new concepts (“Bones & Burgers”).
• 2023: Mohaimina Haque appointed CEO; brand pivots toward leaner operations, technology, and international expansion. Source: Tony Roma’s, The Daily Meal

The chain had over 200 locations globally at its peak. It now has about 49, with only nine in the United States.