Brian O’Malley knew from a very young age that the hospitality industry was for him. Washing dishes at a hotel at 15, he fell in love with the atmosphere created in the kitchen as well as when he rotated through other positions from porter to room service where he began honing his hospitality skills.
Understanding that the hospitality industry was going to be his career choice, he majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management at The University of Wisconsin Stout.
He spent his first few years out of college managing at Spinnakers Restaurants in Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia and eventually Columbus, Ohio. From there, Brian’s career path led him to Santa Fe Steakhouse, where he was a General Manager and Director of New Restaurant Openings for several years. To continue his professional growth, he accepted a position at Bravo Brio Restaurants (BBRG) in 1996 where he was initially the GM of the 3rd Bravo which was in Dayton, Ohio. Brian moved up into other leadership positions from Director of Operations, Vice President, COO and finally culminating as President and CEO. Brian orchestrated the sale of the company to a PE Firm in 2018.
In 2019, Brian decided to go out on his own and partnered with 3 former BBRG leaders and started Front to Back Hospitality Group (FTBHG), dba Kitchen Social. The concept was to be centered around food made from scratch, fresh cocktails along with a smaller but unique wine list from around the world, a price point where people could afford to eat at once a week, light, bright and airy atmosphere culminating in an unforgettable hospitality experience.
The first Kitchen Social opened in November of 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. As of June 2024, there are 5 Kitchen Social locations with 2 in Columbus, 2 in Cleveland and one in the Cincinnati market.