Our story
In 1971, James Maynard returned to his hometown and raised funds from friends and local businessmen to form IMC with the modest goal of opening a family-oriented restaurant. James and co-founder Bill Carl opened the first restaurant in 1973 with a simple belief that business was all about creating meaningful employment and serving others. Despite their inexperience, the two men quickly learned how to succeed in the restaurant business. Their one-location enterprise, Golden Corral, grew into one of America’s leading family dining restaurant concepts.
During IMC’s first few decades, James and Bill focused primarily on growing Golden Corral. In the early 1990s, the brand shifted toward a larger format buffet concept and adopted franchising as its new model for growth. Today, Golden Corral is more than 95 percent franchised, with owner-operators consistently producing better results for guests over the years.
As IMC began to expand, new partnerships formed with companies across a range of industries, developing a particular expertise in multi-unit operating companies.
In 2016, after leading various teams within IMC, Quinton Maynard succeeded his father as Chairman and CEO. During Quinton’s tenure, IMC added three more companies to into the IMC family. Quinton made an indelible mark on IMC with his insatiable curiosity, sharp intellect and genuine care for the people he worked with.
Following Quinton’s passing in 2017, Stuart Frantz, who previously led an IMC partner company, assumed the role of CEO and President. He and the entire IMC team remain deeply committed to doing the right thing, and maintaining the legacy and values established in the company’s first five decades.
Currently, IMC is home to six partner companies in diverse industries across the country – all connected by a shared set of principles and success in multi-unit business models. Our growth continues to be funded entirely by earnings from our partner companies, as it has been for the past 50 years.
