Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has agreed to acquire Native Grill & Wings, an Arizona-based restaurant chain, for $20 million from Wingtime, LLC, a subsidiary of Cybeck Capital Partners, LLC. Marking FAT Brands’ third chicken wing concept, the acquisition of Native Grill & Wings will be funded with cash from the issuance of new notes from the company’s securitization facilities and is expected to close in mid-December 2021.
With the acquisition of Native Grill & Wings, FAT Brands will have more than 2,300 franchised and corporate-owned stores around the world with a combined annual system-wide sales of approximately $2.3 billion. The addition of the chicken wing concept, including the new stores due to open and under development, is expected to increase the company’s post-COVID normalized EBITDA by approximately $3 million in 2022. The Native Grill & Wings transaction follows FAT Brands’ planned acquisition of Fazoli’s announced in early November, and marks the company’s fourth acquisition in 2021, including Global Franchise Group in July and Twin Peaks in October.
“With the chicken wing sector growing in popularity throughout the pandemic, we knew that we wanted to continue developing our portfolio further into this category by bringing in a brand that would complement our existing wing concepts,” says Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands. “Native Grill & Wings has been on our radar for some time given its ability to remain nimble and deliver strong system-wide sales growth over the past year. We’re pleased to build off the success established by Dan Chaon, Native brand CEO, and Cybeck Capital Partners, LLC, and we look forward to expanding Native Grill & Wings’ presence into new markets.”
“The Native Grill & Wings system is poised for a breakout to the next level, and FAT Brands has the resources and experience that can take it there. We are pleased to pass the baton to FAT Brands for the benefit of the system,” says Joe O’Hara, managing partner of Cybeck Capital Partners, LLC.
For FAT Brands, Foley & Lardner LLP acted as legal counsel. For Wing Time, LLC Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP acted as legal counsel.
Based in Chandler, Ariz., Native Grill & Wings is a family-friendly, polished sports grill with 23 franchised locations throughout Arizona, Illinois, and Texas. For more information, visit http://nativegrillandwings.com/.
SOURCE: FAT Brands Inc.