Nathan’s Famous was founded by a Polish immigrant, Nathan Handwerker, and his is truly an authentic “only in America story.” He started his business in 1916 with a small hot dog stand in Coney Island, New York. He sold hot dogs that were manufactured based on a recipe developed by his wife, Ida. You might say patrons of this restaurateur are in the dog house. Nathan's Famous is a leading franchisor of quick-service restaurants with a chain of about 250 Nathan's outlets known for their all-beef frankfurters served with a variety of toppings. The eateries also serve hamburgers, French fries, and breakfast sandwiches. More than 50 Nathan's units also feature fish and chips under the Arthur Treacher's brand. In addition to restaurants, the company sells Nathan's branded products through 13,000 points of sale, including vending machines, Subway units at Wal-Mart stores, and Auntie Anne's pretzel shops. Specialty Foods Group makes Nathan's hot dogs for retail sale under a licensing deal.

SNAI (Sindacato Nazionale Agenzie Ippiche) is a leading operator of sports betting shops in Italy. The shops offer wagering on a variety of sporting events. In addition to on-site wagering, the company offers online and telephone sports betting. SNAI also offering other online gaming, including poker. In addition to gaming, the company operates horse racing tracks and has multimedia operations.

Global Spectrum provides innovative management, marketing, operations and event booking services for public assembly facilities, including arenas, civic and convention centers, stadiums, ice facilities, equestrian centers and theatres. The most professional and experienced senior management staff in the industry leads Global Spectrum. In addition to providing full scope-of-services for existing facilities that decide to “privatize,” Global Spectrum also provides pre-opening design and construction consulting services for the development phase of facilities under construction. Today, Global Spectrum is the fastest growing venue management firm in the world. Global Spectrum is led by Peter Luukko, Chairman (and President and COO of Global Spectrum’s parent company, Comcast-Spectacor), John Page, Chief Operating Officer and Frank E. Russo, Jr., Senior Vice President of Business Development.

Kennywood is not the Islands in the Stream counterpart to singer Dolly Parton's Dollywood. (Turn to Herschend Family Entertainment for that distinction). It does own and operate four amusement parks in Pennsylvania: Kennywood Park, Idlewild & Soak Zone, Sandcastle Waterpark, and Pittsburgh's Riverplex, a traditional picnic-type park located next to Sandcastle. Kennywood Entertainment Company, Inc. markets its parks for group outings, and offers event planning and catering services. Kennywood Entertainment was founded in 1898. It is a subsidiary of Spanish theme park company Parques Reunidos.

Straw Hat Cooperative owns and operates Straw Hat Pizza, a chain of about 70 casual dining restaurants located mostly in Northern California. The family-style eateries are popular for their signature pizzas, pasta dishes, and sandwiches. In addition to its pizzerias, the company has a small number of Straw Hat Grill locations that specialize in hamburgers and other sandwiches, along with a few Straw Hat Express units found in strip malls and other retail locations. Founded in 1959, the Straw Hat chain is controlled by its franchise operators.

You might say this company offers its patrons a taste of New England. Back Bay Restaurant Group is a leading regional dining operator with more than 30 locations encompassing more than a dozen different restaurant concepts. Its Papa Razzi trattorias offer Italian cuisine, while Joe's American Bar & Grill serves up steak, burgers, and more in a saloon setting. Back Bay Restaurants also operates upscale steakhouse Abe & Louie's, Atlantic Fish Company, and the Coach Grill, along with a small number of Charley's pubs. Most of the company's restaurants are found in Massachusetts and a few other New England states. CEO and majority owner Charles Sarkis opened his first restaurant in 1963 and formed Back Bay in 1983.

Cold Rock Management helps keep Australians cool with ice cream. Cold Rock Management Pty Ltd. is a leading franchisor of frozen treat outlets with its chain of about 85 Cold Rock Ice Creamery locations. The shops feature a variety of ice cream flavors, gelato, and sorbet, along with a menu of ingredients such as nuts, cookies, candies, and fruits that can be mixed into the ice cream. Each Cold Rock location features a refrigerated granite slab used for combining the ice cream with the additional ingredients. Started in the mid-1990s, the Cold Rock chain is owned by Franchised Food Company (FFC), a multi-concept franchising business controlled by Stan Gordon.

Too busy to go out to pig out? Steak-Out Franchising will bring the burgers, shrimp, steaks, and more, to your door. The company operates a chain of more than 25 franchised Steak-Out restaurants that provide home meal delivery in Alabama, South Carolina, and about 10 other southern and Midwestern states. The cookeries offer a menu of lunch and dinner entrees including steak and seafood, along with a variety of appetizers and side dishes. Some locations offer online ordering. David Martin started the chain in 1986; president Don Harkleroad acquired the company in 1995.

7 Days Group Holdings offers accommodations for the cost-conscious traveler every day of the week. The company operates roughly the third largest economy hotel chain in China under the 7 Days Inn brand. It has more than 280 hotels in operation across major metropolitan areas, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The group typically leases and converts existing real estate properties, rather than undertaking the costlier method of building new ones. It also licenses its 7 Days Inn brand to third parties and manages some of its hotels. The group filed to go public in November 2009 to take advantage of China's rapidly growing but fragmented economy lodging industry.

Doing business as The HEAT Group, Miami Heat Limited Partnership owns and operates the Miami Heat professional basketball team, which joined the National Basketball Association in 1988 as an expansion franchise. The team has made several playoff appearances and earned its first and only NBA championship title in 2006 with the help of such stars as Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. Miami area fans cheer on their team at the American Airlines Arena. The family of Carnival CEO Micky Arison has controlled the basketball franchise since its founding.

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