M&A
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Julie Littman/Restaurant Dive
BBQ Holdings to be acquired by MTY Food Group for $200M
The transaction will add nine brands to the Canada-based company and allow it to further expand its U.S. portfolio, which also includes Papa Murphy’s.
By Julie Littman • Aug. 9, 2022 -
Courtesy of QDOBA
Butterfly Equity to buy Qdoba, fold it into Modern Restaurant Concepts
With the addition of the Mexican fast casual chain, Modern Restaurant Concepts expects growth potential to reach 3,000 units across brands.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 9, 2022 -
Courtesy of 7-Eleven
7-Eleven reportedly acquires delivery startup, intends to compete with DoorDash
The c-store giant bought Skipcart, which provides same-day and on-demand delivery, according to The Information.
By Brett Dworski • Aug. 8, 2022 -
Courtesy of Ampex Brands
Ampex Brands acquires American bistro concept Bellagreen
The franchise group plans to introduce the eight-unit chain in every major metro area, Ampex CEO Tabbassum Mumtaz said.
By Alicia Kelso • July 25, 2022 -
Permission granted by Denny's
Denny's completes $82.5M acquisition of Keke's Breakfast Cafe
The breakfast chain, which has 52 locations in Florida, is expected to provide expansion opportunities as a complementary concept for Denny’s.
By Julie Littman • July 21, 2022 -
Permission granted by Grubhub
Grubhub, Amazon partner to expand Grubhub+ membership
Amazon will be given warrants worth 2% in Grubhub shares, and access to additional shares if it brings more customers to Grubhub.
By Julie Littman • July 6, 2022 -
Permission granted by Panera Bread
Panera terminates agreement with Danny Meyer's SPAC
Due to unfavorable capital market conditions, Panera Brands and USHG Acquisition Corp. ended their relationship Friday. Panera said it will continue to explore a public listing if conditions improve.
By Julie Littman • July 1, 2022 -
Grubhub CEO: A strong partnership is preferred as company mulls future
Just Eat Takeaway is focused on improving its U.S. business, but a sale isn’t off the table, Grubhub CEO Adam DeWitt said at the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum.
By Julie Littman • Updated June 29, 2022 -
Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick inks franchise deals as it targets 500 units by 2025
The fast casual chain signed two agreements that will bring 16 more locations to Texas, with plans to open about 50 restaurants nationwide this year.
By Julie Littman • June 22, 2022 -
Courtesy of Lunchbox
Lunchbox acquires NovaDine to improve offerings for enterprise chains
The transaction will enable restaurants to manage digital guest experiences from a single operating system and increase Lunchbox’s scale.
By Alicia Kelso • June 8, 2022 -
Retrieved from Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip on May 25, 2022
Fat Brands to buy Nestle Toll House Cafe, bolstering its dessert category
Fat plans to turn Nestle Toll House Cafe's 85 units into Great American Cookies locations after the acquisition closes. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
By Julie Littman • May 25, 2022 -
Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
Wendy's largest shareholder proposes to buy company
Trian Partners and billionaire owner Nelson Peltz told the chain's board of directors Tuesday that Trian would explore an acquisition, merger or other transaction in which it would own the company.
By Julie Littman • May 25, 2022 -
Courtesy of Woworks
Woworks acquires fast casual chains Barberitos, Zoup
The parent company of Saladworks will grow to six brands and over 400 locations with these two purchases.
By Julie Littman • May 13, 2022 -
Denny's preps for growth as it hires Kelli Valade as CEO
Red Lobster's former CEO will oversee several initiatives, including an $82.5 million acquisition of a Florida breakfast concept, tech upgrades and expansion of ghost kitchens.
By Julie Littman • May 4, 2022 -
Cindy Ord via Getty Images
Just Eat Takeaway considering sale of Grubhub
JET CEO Jitse Groen confirmed Wednesday the company is in active discussions for a strategic partnership and/or a partial or full sale of its U.S. subsidiary, which it bought in 2020.
By Julie Littman • April 20, 2022 -
Permission granted by Main Event
Dave & Buster's to buy Main Event for $835M
Following the close of the all-cash transaction, which is expected to occur later this year, Main Event CEO Chris Morris will become Dave & Buster's CEO.
By Julie Littman • April 6, 2022 -
Permission granted by DoorDash
DoorDash buys Bbot to bolster in-store digital ordering capabilities
The deal may grow DoorDash's partner business footprint, since Bbot services restaurants, hotels, bars, food halls, ghost kitchens and bowling alleys.
By Alicia Kelso • March 1, 2022 -
McDonald's sells AI tech firm Dynamic Yield to Mastercard
Franchisees complained Dynamic Yield hadn't delivered the sales boosts they expected at the drive-thru. The deal reflects McDonald's pivot toward outsourcing its technology.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Dec. 21, 2021 -
Permission granted by Waitr
Waitr plans to acquire a cannabis dispensary POS company for $90M
The delivery company expects transactions on Cova's platform to reach approximately $2.3 billion.
By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 20, 2021 -
TennesseePhotographer via Getty Images
10 most impactful restaurant M&A deals of 2021
Plentiful capital, concerns over changing tax laws and a decent recovery among QSRs helped drive transaction activity in 2021, but 2022 could slow dealmaking and spark more interest in full-service chains.
Dec. 15, 2021 -
Fertitta Entertainment may pay $33M to kill merger with Fast Acquisition Corp.
The deal would have taken Fertitta public, but owner Tilman Fertitta ultimately decided to keep the company private. Fast will continue to look for another operating company to combine with.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 13, 2021 -
Courtesy of REEF Technology
Reef Technology's expansionReef acquires hospitality startup 2nd Kitchen
The purchase strengthens Reef's position in the virtual kitchen space, and comes two months after it bought logistics partner Bond.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 7, 2021 -
Jack in the Box to buy Del Taco for $575M
The transaction, which is expected to close during the first quarter of 2022, will result in a combined unit count of 2,800 across 25 states.
By Julie Littman • Updated Dec. 6, 2021 -
Retrieved from Native Grill & Wings on November 22, 2021
Fat Brands acquires Native Grill & Wings for $20M
In its fourth acquisition of the year, the company adds a 23-unit restaurant chain to bulk up its existing chicken wing platform.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 22, 2021 -
Permission granted by Presto
How Presto's public debut could help restaurants improve labor productivity
Raising millions of dollars in capital will help the restaurant technology company invest in improving its labor saving and guest experience products.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 15, 2021
