The Cunningham Restaurant Group operates a total of 44 restaurants under 18 different brands in Ohio, Kentucky and its home state of Indiana.
It all started in 1997 when Mike Cunningham opened Boulder Creek Dining Company, a casual dining concept in the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg, Indiana that became known for its steaks and ribs.
That was followed by Charbonos in another suburb (Avon, Indiana), which offers pizza, chef-prepared pasta dishes and an extensive steak program. Next came the upscale-casual Stonecreek Dining Company, which now has five locations – four in the Indianapolis suburbs and a fifth in Montgomery, Ohio, outside Cincinnati.
“And then the group really took off when we came to downtown Indianapolis and started revitalizing a lot of areas,” said Carissa Newton, Cunningham’s vice president of marketing.
That included Bru Burger Bar, which offers pretty much what it sounds like: burgers, fries, chicken wings, salads and sandwiches, plus beer, wine and cocktails. Much of it, including the beef, is locally sourced, which is a big part of the group’s identity, Newton said.
Combine that with gracious hospitality and home-cooked ingredients, and you get the ethos of the Cunningham Restaurant Group, she said.
The different restaurants offer a wide range of cuisines and styles, and Newton says many guests do not realize the restaurants are part of the same group until they join the company-wide loyalty program.
“The people who know, know, and that’s why they all travel within these different concepts because they get points and rewards,” she said.
Cafe 251 is a breakfast and lunch concept in downtown Indianapolis. The three-unit Rīze is similar, but with a slightly stronger farm-to-table approach.
Livery is a Latin-inspired concept with four units and locations in and around Indianapolis and one in Montgomery.
Modita in Indianapolis is Asian-inspired and offers a menu ranging from dim sum and sushi to Japanese Wagyu beef.
Nesso and Theo’s are Italian concepts – Nesso’s is more upscale and offers a tasting menu, while Theo’s offers flatbread-style pizza and homemade pasta – both in Indianapolis.
Commission Row is a steak and seafood restaurant that is part of the Pacers Sports & Entertainment Complex in Indianapolis. Above it is Mel’s, a speakeasy-style bar, and above that is an event space called Above that can accommodate up to 200 people.
Bemberg is a members-only speakeasy, also in Indianapolis.
Mesh has two locations, in Indianapolis and Louisville, each with its own chef-crafted menu.
Provision in Indianapolis is a farm-to-table steakhouse with a slogan of “sustainability, transparency and quality,” and Marquee at the Landing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is an upscale restaurant and bar with a strong steak program, but also a trendy charcuterie board and multicultural dishes like kimchi meatloaf and carne asada poutine.
Union 50 Restaurant & Bar is another chef-driven restaurant with an eclectic menu in Indianapolis.
Cunningham’s finest restaurant is Vida, whose chef Thomas Melvin was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes Region in 2022 and 2024.
Concept number 19, Shin Dig, with the slogan “Pizza, chicken wings and boozy stuff,” is scheduled to open this fall in Indianapolis next to the headquarters of event promoter Live Nation.
“A casual, relaxed atmosphere, lots of games and a place where people can hang out after work or maybe have a company outing,” Newton said of the new restaurant.
Finance, marketing and human resources are all centralized at Cunningham’s headquarters in downtown Indianapolis, where a culinary team helps recruit chefs and develop recipes.
They also have a test kitchen and a USDA-certified greenhouse that supplies all of the restaurants with microgreens, herbs, edible flowers and similar ingredients. The greenhouse staff is also responsible for the green walls with live herbs at Modita and Vida.
The test kitchen and greenhouse, as well as the Bemberg, are also used to host tasting events for the public, both to test new menu items and to treat members of the loyalty program.
“Having access to a kitchen team for a special occasion is very popular,” Newton said.
Aside from Shin Dig, Cunningham is opening a new Bru Burger in Fort Wayne this fall while also establishing a catering division to capitalize on this lucrative segment of the restaurant business.
Contact Bret Thorn at (email protected)
