M&A

Uber reportedly bids $2.6B for Postmates

Postmates is also considering going public either through an IPO or a special purpose acquisition company.

By Julie Littman • June 30, 2020

WSJ: Chuck E. Cheese parent fielding potential buyers

New York grocery owner John Catsimatidis and a group of bondholders are among the eatertainment chain's latest suitors.

By Julie Littman • June 22, 2020

Just Eat Takeaway acquires Grubhub in all-stock deal

Grubhub shares jumped more than 7% during after hours trading on news of the deal, which will also give Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway a strong foothold in the U.S.

By Julie Littman • June 10, 2020

BurgerFi to go public in $100M deal with blank-check investor

The burger chain entered into a definitive agreement with Opes Acquisition Corp. to combine on Tuesday. Its anticipated initial enterprise value is $143 million. 

By Julie Littman • UPDATED: June 30, 2020 at 10:16 a.m.

Grubhub reportedly gains two new suitors: Just Eat Takeaway, Delivery Hero

The two European food delivery companies have emerged as potential buyers of Grubhub, following growing antitrust concerns if the U.S. aggregator combined with Uber.

By Julie Littman • June 08, 2020

Luby's seeks sale of all assets to clear debt

The operator is open to being acquired in its entirety but would sell its holdings, including Luby's, Fuddruckers and a contract management company called Culinary Contract Services, separately if needed. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • June 04, 2020

Le Pain Quotidien's US arm files for bankruptcy, sold for $3M

The cafe chain, which already temporarily closed its 98 units and fired 2,000 employees due to COVID-19, said it would have faced liquidation if not for the sale to Aurify Brands. 

By Julie Littman • May 27, 2020

Potential Uber/Grubhub merger points to inevitable consolidation in delivery market

While acquisitions have been speculated for 18 months, the latest rumors signal a shift in the segment — one that might lead to steeper fees and reduced visibility for restaurants.

By Julie Littman , Emma Liem Beckett • May 18, 2020

Bankrupt Krystal sold to Fortess Investment Group for $48M

With healthy M&A all but paused during the pandemic, distressed company sales are likely to be among the handful of deals to occur this year. 

By Julie Littman • May 15, 2020

Uber bids to acquire Grubhub, reports say

While Grubhub wouldn't comment specifically on a Bloomberg report,  it released a statement that said "consolidation could make sense in our industry, and like any responsible company, we are always looking at value-enhancing opportunities."

By Julie Littman • UPDATED: May 12, 2020 at 2:31 p.m.

Sun Capital Partners sells Boston Market

Engage Brands, one of Rohan Group of Companies, becomes the private owner of the long-troubled brand, which has grappled with store closures and stagnant sales for years. 

By Julie Littman • April 29, 2020

Dine Brands investor wants to spin off IHOP

Dine Brands' board of directors says that forcing the company into creating a separately traded entity would not be in the best interests of its shareholders.

By Julie Littman • April 03, 2020

Yum acquires leadership development program

The parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell plans to offer Heartstyles, which provides hands-on training, to 98% of its restaurants.

By Julie Littman • March 04, 2020

BBQ Holdings lands 1st acquisition with Granite City Food

This deal is unlikely to be the last for Famous Dave's parent company as it pushes to become a multi-branded concept, mirroring recent moves by Inspire Brands, FAT Brands and Cracker Barrel. 

By Julie Littman • Feb. 14, 2020

Bloomin' Brands closer to divesting Outback Brazil

The company has selected three bidders for its Outback operation in Brazil.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 04, 2020

Uber Eats, DoorDash reportedly considered merger in 2019

The two largest delivery providers in the U.S. discussed combining operations around six months ago, following pressure from mutual investor SoftBank, but talks fell apart, according to the Financial Times. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 31, 2020

British regulators investigate Just Eat, Takeaway.com merger

The British Competition and Markets Authority is determining whether the $8 billion deal could stifle competition in the U.K. market.

By Lauren Stine • Jan. 27, 2020

Chopt buys Dos Toros, forms new holding company

The brands will operate independently under newly formed Founders Table Restaurant Group, and will launch a shared loyalty program.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 24, 2020

Uber sells India food delivery business to local competitor

The company sold Uber Eats India to Zomato as part of its strategy to leave regions where management doesn't think it can be a top player in the space. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 21, 2020

Macaroni Grill eyes 2nd acquisition

The once-struggling company hopes to close on another purchase in Q1, one that could bring it halfway to its goal of becoming a $1 billion business, said CEO Nishant Machado.  

By Julie Littman • Jan. 15, 2020

FAT Brands CEO: Chain plans to close an acquisition in Q1, with more in the works

With new funding, the company is poised to buy larger brands as part of its two-pronged strategy to grow organically and through acquisitions, Andy Wiederhorn told Restaurant Dive at the ICR Conference.

By Julie Littman • Jan. 14, 2020

Grubhub says it's not for sale

Contradicting The Wall Street Journal's report, the company said,"there is unequivocally no process in place to sell the company," but that it's exploring acquisition opportunities.

By Emma Liem Beckett • UPDATED: Jan. 10, 2020 at 8:51 a.m.

Yum Brands acquires Habit Burger for $375M

The deal, which is expected to close by the end of Q2 2020, is Yum's first restaurant acquisition since it went public more than 20 years ago.

By Julie Littman • Jan. 06, 2020

10 of the most impactful restaurant acquisitions of 2019

Restaurants and private equity continued to be active buyers this year as restaurant leaders explored ways to grow amid labor and declining traffic pressures.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 20, 2019

Private equity firm acquires 117 Pizza Hut restaurants

Triton Pacific's purchase comes after the pizza chain made plans to restructure its business to address high debt levels and lack of access to capital.

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 19, 2019