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SNAPSHOT CONCEPT Qdoba Mexican Grill HEADQUARTERS Denver PARENT COMPANY Jack in the Box, San Diego 2002 SYSTEMWIDE SALES $65 million AVERAGE UNIT VOLUME $837,000 UNITS 85 AVERAGE CHECK $7.50 EXPANSION [...]

ENCORE RESTAURANTS LLC, a subsidiary of Dallas-based ENCORE ENTERPRISES INC., acquired eight FIVE GUYS BURGER AND FRIES locations across central California. Encore plans to open 45 more locations in California [...]

Mexico's FEMSA, a retailer and bottler of COCA-COLA COMPANY beverages, will purchase 80% of fast-food chain DONA TOTA, marking its first venture into the restaurant business. Dona Tota operates 204 [...]

Applebee's acquisition of the Mexican dinner-house chain Rio Bravo could eventually lead to the largest US Mexican chain. The chain will be run as a franchise operation using the Applebee's model, which led to dramatic growth across small-town America. Growth is expected to occur slowly at first, with most of 1995 spend preparing Rio Bravo for franchising, four or five units to emerge in 1996-97, followed by swift growth., It was almost a decade ago that taco bell loaded the pistol, never suspecting it could one day be aimed at its feet. An executive was merely trying to cushion [...]

The parties trying to buy and sell the TONY PACKO'S INC. restaurant chain were given two weeks to advance the deal. Otherwise, the judge will look at a competing offer [...]

BLACKSTONE GROUP LP's portfolio company TRAGUS, owner of restaurant chains CAFE ROUGE, STRADA and BELLA ITALIA, is in talks to buy cafe-owner PARAMOUNT, according to The Wall Street Journal (July [...]

MTY TIKI MING ENTERPRISES, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian quick-services operator MTY FOOD GROUP, INC., entered into an agreement to acquire COUNTRY STYLE FOOD SERVICES HOLDINGS, the Ontario region's second [...]

By Staff Last year's high volume of mergers and acquisitions (107 announced, according to Rosemont, Ill.-based J.H. Chapman Group's Chain Restaurant M&A Census) has continued into 2007, and shows no [...]

A group of investors led by Bill Cooper, a retired TCF FINANCIAL CORP., bought Mexican restaurant chain BAJA SOL INC., Minnesota. The new owners are looking to transform the company [...]

THE FRONT FOUR, a Charlotte-based group of investors, purchased the JUST FRESH restaurant chain headquartered in Charlotte. The sandwich and salad restaurant chain, promoting fresh ingredients, has 10 locations in [...]

Restaurant group Paramount last week added the Caffe Uno brand to its stable after buying the chain from The Restaurant Group (TRG) in a [pounds sterling]33m deal. The owner of [...]

ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD, the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry, acquired 16 WINNERS stores from CONWAY OIL CO., Albuquerque, NM. The sites will be operated under the CIRCLE K banner. [...]

* Wendy's made an additional $4 million investment in Italia casual dining chain Pasta Pomodoro, boosting its stake in the chain from 25% to 29%. Separately, the company's Baja Fresh [...]

* The owners of Portland, OR-based McCormick & Schmick's, the upscale seafood chain, declared their intent to sell stock in their 49-restaurant chain to the public with a U.S. SEC [...]

The management of conveyor-belt restaurant group Yo! Sushi has bought the 14-strong chain from founder Simon Woodroffe and plans to expand the group aggressively. The [pounds sterling]10m deal was backed [...]

BEDFORD: The Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse restaurant chain's three restaurants have been sold by Rick Loeffler of Shorty's Management Group to Jon Carnevale, former general manager of the Bedford Village Inn. [...]

Fueling restaurant companies' growth through strategic mergers and acquisitions has become tougher in recent years as private-equity firms buy up more and more available brands, thus pricing acquisitive foodservice firms [...]

What happened to the skull-crushing clubs, the animal-skin loincloths, the Fred Flintstone-style limos? Every week brings another story of a private-equity firm buying a restaurant company, often for a lifetime's [...]

RESHAPING THE INDUSTRY BY KEVIN FARRELL Merger and acquisition activity, which has remolded the economic landscape of the fooservice industry, will continue to be an important factor in shaping the [...]

MINNEAPOLIS - Co-branding remains a priority for Carlson Hospitality Worldwide despite selling its Country Kitchen International restaurant chain to its largest franchisee, Kitchen Investment Group Inc. Kitchen Investment Group, a [...]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rally's Hamburgers Inc. said it acquired the assets of a 10-unit Little Rock, Ark.-based franchisee for $2.7 million as part of a litigation settlement. The cash disbursed [...]

Acquisition financier Bankers Trust has a successful relationship with Investcorp, sustained by a mutual strategic approach to acquisition and leveraged finance. Investcorp's planned acquisition of road-side eating-place chain Welcome Break in 1996 was motivated by the acquisition's established position in its niche market and a detailed business plan was drawn up, with Bankers Trust arranging acquisition financing. Details of the transaction are presented.

Total Entertainment Restaurant head John Coulter has announced the development of an upscale dining chain with the purchase of two billiard-themed bar concepts. The company has added Bailey's Sports Grille in Louisville, KY, to its roster of nine Bailey's units, and the Fox & Hound concept to its current roster of three Fox & Hound units., DALLAS - In the wake of its recent purchase of two billiard-themed bar concepts, the Dallas-based Fox & Hound and Bailey's Sports Grille, Wichita, Kan.-based Coulter Enterprises has begun development [...]

Quality Dining Inc. is selling Bruegger's Corp. after an unprofitable period with the chain. Quality had purchased the chain in June 1996 but could not finance an expansion at a rapid enough pace to push back rival Einstein/Noah, which opens a new store almost every day. Quality will be taking financial charges of $170 million and $140 million relating to the sale. It also might shut some of its corporate units., MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The indigestion Quality Dining Inc. suffered from swallowing Bruegger's Corp. last year has cleared the plate for others in the national bagel-expansion race to help themselves to [...]

Purchase, NY-based PepsiCo Inc. has reached an agreement to sell its Chevys chain of Mexican restaurants to an undisclosed buyer. Terms of the deal for the 70-unit chain were not [...]

They're trying to restore health to restaurant chain Convinced of Atlanta's appetite for healthy, affordable fast food, new owners are trying to turn around the financially troubled Lettuce Souprise You [...]

If Elias Bros. Restaurants Inc. predictions are true, its chubby Big Boy icon soon will be multiplying across the world. The Warren-based family-dining restaurant chain has spent years positioning itself [...]

BRAINTREE, Mass. -- Ground Round Restaurants Inc. completed the sale of nine of its restaurants in the Northeast to Lone Star Steak House & Saloon Inc. as part of a [...]

The merger of Eden Prairie, MN-based Buffets Inc and San Diego, CA-based HomeTown Buffet is under attack by HomeTown franchise group, HTB Restaurants Inc. The suit alleges that Buffets and HomeTown conspired to prevent HTB development in its western US expansion because it would compete with Buffets' units. Breach of contract, antitrust law violations and unfair business practices are also alleged., Weddings and restaurants and banquet halls and celebrations of various kinds just all seem to fit together. Still, when my wife and I stopped for lunch at an Old Country [...]

Volunteer Capital Corp. sold back its 52 of its 58 franchised Wendy's-units to Wendy's International Inc. for $28 million and the assumption of some debts in a deal that ends a 25-year-long relationship between the two firms. The other six units either will be sold to other restaurant companies or will be closed down. Volunteer will concentrate on its 9-unit J. Alexander chain, which is a higher-end, casual-themed dinner house concept., NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Volunteer Capital, one of Wendy's International's oldest and largest operators, is selling its franchise back to the franchisor to concentrate on its proprietary growth concept, J. Alexander's. [...]

Grill Concepts Inc., the corporate parent of the Daily Grill restaurant chain, has made a $10-million offer for the bankrupt Hamburger Hamlet chain according to bankruptcy reorganization plan filed by Hamburger Hamlet Restaurants Inc. Grill Concepts CEO Robert Spivak said that his firm planned to convert only one or two of the 19 Hamburger Hamlet units into Daily Grill units, and that the other units would be managed separately., LOS ANGELES -- Confident that a 46-year-old Southern California chain icon can bask again in its 'original glory,' Grill Concepts Inc., parent of the six-unit Daily Grill chain, has offered [...]

VAN NUYS, Calif. -- N.U. Pizza Holding Corp., parent of the Numero Uno Italian restaurant chain, agreed to acquire Oregon's Original Sandwich Express and Bakery, which operates six outlets in [...]

Consolidations and increased investments by operating partners contributed to increased merger and acquisition activity in the foodservice industry in 1995, according to the Chain Restaurant Merger & Acquisition Census for 1995. Small, regional bagel businesses experienced particularly high levels of merger and acquisition activity in 1995. However, overall initial public offerings dropped from 21 in 1994 to seven in 1995. Financial trouble motivated 17.2% of all mergers and acquisitions in 1995., CHICAGO -- Consolidation in the bagel business and a surge of equity fund professionals becoming operating partners in restaurants led to an increase of mergers and acquisitions in foodservice in [...]

Zapata Corp. has agreed to acquire Houlihan's Restaurant Group Inc. in a $80 million deal that involves the merger of Houlihan's with Zapata. Once Houlihan's is a Zapata subsidiary, its stock will be converted into cash and Zapata stock at the rate of one Zapata share and $4 in cash per Houlihan's share. Zapata is an energy company, one-third of which is owned by Houlihan's Chmn Malcolm I. Glazer, the restaurant chain's majority stockholder., KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Houlihan's Restaurant Group Inc. has signed a letter of intent to be acquired by the Zapata Corp., a Houston-based energy company one-third owned by Houlihan's chairman [...]

Restaurants Unlimited has been reaquired by founder Rich Komen. The name and 27 restaurants will be repurchased from UBS Capital and Thomas H. Lee Co by Jun 1996. UBS Capital and Thomas H. Lee will continue to own Cinnabon World Famous Cinnamon Rolls while Komen and Restaurants Unlimited management will own 23 dinner houses, the Palomino units and Zoopa buffet units., SEATTLE -- Founder Rich Komen, in a bid to revitalize Restaurants Unlimited Inc.'s 25-year-old full-service division, has convinced the current majority owners to sell him and backers 23 dinner houses, [...]

Freeman Spogli and Co has assisted in the acquisition of 58% of America's Favorite Chicken Co for approximately $320 million in Apr 1996. America's Favorite Chicken is comprised of Churchs Fried Chicken and Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits. The acquisition has decreased the debt of the second largest quick service chicken operator in the US to $130 million from over $230 million. A public offering is expected to follow., ATLANTA -- A California investment firm has purchased a majority stake in America's Favorite Chicken Co. in a move seen as better positioning the country's No. 2 quick-serve chicken operator [...]

Daka International plans to purchase Great Bagel and Coffee Co. for approximately $8.5 million in stock. The diversified food operator's purchase will add bagels and specialty coffee stores to a roster of chains from taquerias to sports bar/restaurants. There are 18 units in the 3-year-old Great Bagel chain, and two offshoots, Great Bagel and Coffee Express, and Great Bagel and Coffee Cafe. Texaco plans to develop 45 more units under its own separate agreement., DANVERS, Mass. -- With a portfolio swelled by the recent additions of a taqueria and a sports bar/restaurant chain, Daka International has waded into the exploding bagel and specialty coffee [...]

MAITLAND, Fla. - Sobik's Subs Inc., a 54-unit quickserve sandwich chain based here, agreed to acquire Sailormen Inc., an 11-unit Popeyes Chicken & Biscuit franchisee based in Miami. Sailormen previously [...]

Daka International Inc has bought a 16.7% share of the La Salsa Holding, the corporate parent of the 60-unit La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill chain. Daka also acquired warrant options to buy an additional 13.3% equity stake over the next 18 months. Daka plans to field test a dual branding of the La Salsa quick-service taqueria concept with its Fuddruckers band at four units in Southern California.

Einstein Bros. Bagels Inc, a subsidiary of Boston Chicken Inc, has purchased Noah's New York Bagels Inc for $100 million in a stock and cash deal. The acquisition of the 37-unit Noah's chain puts Einstein Bros in a good position in the competitive West Coast bagel shop market. Starbucks Corp made a handsome profit on its 10% share of Noah's, which it had bought for $10 million. The deal likely will create synergies between Einstein Bros, Starbucks, and Boston Chicken.

Jeffrey Miller has a lot to be excited about. He's moving out west to Scottsdale, Ariz., and a big house he bought for his family. A corner office awaits him [...]