Hilltop Steakhouse

The Hilltop Steakhouse, founded in 1961 by Frank Giuffrida, was a chain of restaurants in Eastern Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire that existed from 1961 to 2013. The original location opened in Saugus, Massachusetts in 1961, and operated until 2013. In a hilltop location with a giant saguaro cactus sign, the restaurant was a landmark on Route 1 north of Boston.   The last restaurant existed only as a butcher shop in Weymouth.  The other locations with Hilltop restaurants were Hartford, Nashua, Braintree, and Springfield.

The Saugus property has been sold and the items auctioned off.  A restaurant and shopping plaza have been proposed for the site, opening as early as October 2015.

Operations
The Hilltop was known, in part for their decorations outside including a 68-foot-high neon cactus and cows.  At least at one time, they were "America's largest restaurant, both in number of customers served and sales volume.  On a typical Saturday, the Hilltop, a sprawling Ponderosa that accommodated 1,300 carnivores, rustled up about 7,800 meals. It served nearly 2.4 million customers annually, three times the volume of the nation's second-largest restaurant, Tavern on the Green in Manhattan."  In 1987, they exceeded $27 million gross.

References

External links
https://archive.is/20141108015441/http://www.hilltopsteakhouse.com/content/1/38/
http://www.csmonitor.com/1994/1212/12131.html
http://articles.courant.com/1993-09-09/business/0000004981_1_400-seat-restaurant-closing-labor-day
https://web.archive.org/web/20141108034306/http://digboston.com/boston-food-drinks/2013/10/eats-hilltop-steak-house-1947-2013/

Category:1961 establishments in Massachusetts
Category:Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Category:Restaurants established in 1961
Category:Restaurants in Saugus, Massachusetts
Category:Defunct restaurants in Massachusetts