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Roark Capital Group
Roark Capital Group is an American private equity firm with over $33 billion in assets under management. The firm is focused on leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies, primarily in the franchise/multi-location, restaurant and food, health and wellness, and business services sectors. It is named for Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand's novel ''The Fountainhead''. The firm claims that its name is not meant to connote any particular political philosophy but instead signify the firm's admiration for the iconoclastic qualities of independence and self-assurance embodied by the central figure in ''The Fountainhead''. History The firm, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 2001 by the current Managing Partner, Neal K. Aronson. Senior team members include President Paul D. Ginsberg, Chief Investment Officer Erik O. Morris, and Managing Directors Timothy Armstrong, Stephen D. Aronson, Dennis Gies, Clay Harmon, Geoff Hill, Kevin Hofmann, Ian Picache, G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Privately Held Company
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is offered, owned, traded, exchanged privately, or Over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter. In the case of a closed corporation, there are a relatively small number of shareholders or company members. Related terms are closely-held corporation, unquoted company, and unlisted company. Though less visible than their public company, publicly traded counterparts, private companies have major importance in the world's economy. In 2008, the 441 list of largest private non-governmental companies by revenue, largest private companies in the United States accounted for ($1.8 trillion) in revenues and employed 6.2 million people, according to ''Forbes''. In 2005, using a substantially smaller pool size (22.7%) for comparison, the 339 companies on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl's Jr
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in North & South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa. In 2016, ''Entrepreneur'' listed Carl's Jr. as No. 54 on their Top Franchise 500 list, which ranks the overall financial strength, stability, and growth rate for the top 500 franchisees in any field across the United States. As of March 2016, CKE (the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's) has a total of 3,664 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 38 foreign countries and U.S. territories. History In 1941, Carl Karcher (1917–2008), who was a truck driver, and his wife Margaret Karcher (1915–2006), borrowed $311 ($ in dollars ) on their Plymouth automobile and added $15 ($ in dollars ) in savings to purchase a hot dog cart on the corner of Florence and Central in Los Angeles. From their newly purchased cart, they sold hot dogs, chili dogs, and tamales for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moe's Southwest Grill
Moe's Southwest Grill, referred to informally as Moe's, is an American fast casual restaurant franchise chain that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2000FOCUS Brands press release, FOCUS Brands to Acquire Moe’s Southwest Grill', April 11, 2007 by Raving Brands. The name "Moe's" originated as an acronym for "Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers," and this theme led to the music-related artwork found in the original design. Moe's Southwest Grill — together with Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister's Deli, Jamba and Auntie Anne's brands — is part of the Focus Brands portfolio of brands. Fare Moe's offers various types of food on its menu, including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, stacks, burrito bowls, and house-made seasonal salsas. Ingredients can be added or subtracted from the standard entree for customization. Every order comes with chips and salsa on the side. International locations Moe's no longer franchises any locatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McAlister's Deli
McAlister's Deli is an American chain of fast casual restaurants founded in 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by retired dentist Dr. Don Newcomb. There are currently over 500 locations in 29 states. The menu includes deli sandwiches, "giant spuds" (baked potatoes), soups, salads, and desserts, as well as catering items such as sandwich trays and boxed lunches. The chain is also known for its McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea, which is available by the glass or by the gallon. McAlister's Deli - together with Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Moe's Southwest Grill, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Auntie Anne's - is part of the Focus Brands portfolio of brands. History The original restaurant was started in a renovated gas station, and many of the elements of that original look are present in many McAlister's Delis built today, such as a garage door and nostalgic black-and-white tile. The deli originally opened under the name Checker's and was later changed to McAlister's. In 1999, founder Don Newcomb sold t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamba Juice
Jamba Juice, doing business as Jamba, is an American company that produces blended fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and similar products. The company is co-owned—with Moe's Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister's Deli, and Auntie Anne's brands—by Focus Brands, an affiliate of private equity firm Roark Capital Group, based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, operating over 6,000 restaurants. Jamba was founded in 1990, with the first shop located in San Luis Obispo, California. The company has more than 850 locations operating in 36 U.S. states, as well as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. History Before the creation of the company, Jamba Juice was a "senior project" executed by Kirk Perron, an avid cyclist and healthy-lifestyle advocate, at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). Jamba Juice was founded on March 31, 1990, by Perron, who opened his first store in San Luis Obispo, California. Kevin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinnabon
Cinnabon is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is a cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more than 1,200 Cinnabon bakeries operating in 48 countries. Its headquarters are in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States.Cinnabon At-A-Glance ." Cinnabon. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.City Council Districts ." City of Sandy Springs. Retrieved on July 4, 2009. The company is co-owned — with |
Carvel (restaurant)
Carvel is an American ice cream franchise owned by Focus Brands. Carvel is best known for its soft-serve ice cream and ice cream cakes, which feature a layer of distinctive 'crunchies'. It also sells a variety of novelty ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches. Its slogan is "America's Freshest Ice Cream". Carvel operates a chain of 320 ice cream outlets, mostly concentrated in the Northeast United States and Florida. It has locations across 20 states and Puerto Rico, located in high-traffic areas such as airports, malls, and sports arenas. The company also sells ice cream cakes in more than 8,500 supermarkets. Since 2001, the corporation has been owned by Roark Capital Group and operated as part of Focus Brands. As of 2020, the Carvel corporate website reports "more than 400 franchise and foodservice locations in more than 20 states and over 10 countries." Novelty ice creams Carvel popularized various novelty ice cream items, such as the "Flying Saucer", a circular ice cream sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auntie Anne's
Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix for those who want to make their pretzels at home. The chain has more than 1,200 locations around various locations, such as in shopping malls and outlet malls, as well as non-traditional retail spaces including universities, parking/rest areas, airports, train stations, travel plazas, amusement parks, and military bases. Their slogan as of 2010 is "Pretzel Perfect". History The chain started as a market stand in the Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Farmer's Market in 1988. The franchise began when a store location opened at Saturday's Market in Middletown, Pennsylvania. Auntie Anne's celebrated their 100th store opening in Granite Run Mall, Media, Pennsylvania, in 1992. In 1995, the first train station location opened at Penn Station in New Yo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Focus Brands
Focus Brands is an American company that is an affiliate of the American private equity firm Roark Capital Group that currently owns the Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Auntie Anne's and Jamba brands. It is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and operates over 5,000 stores. History Focus Brands began as a holding company for Carvel Corporation after Roark Capital bought controlling interest in the ice cream franchisor from Investcorp in November, 2001. Roark purchased Cinnabon and the international operations of Seattle's Best Coffee from AFC Enterprises in November 2004, combining the three brands under its Focus Brands affiliate. Focus Brands purchased Schlotzsky's from Bobby Cox Companies in 2006, less than two years after Bobby Cox had purchased the brand from bankruptcy. On August 11, 2007, Focus Brands announced that it purchased the Moe's Southwest Grill brand from Raving Brands. In October 2010, Focus Brands acquired the mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drybar
Drybar is a California based chain of salons that provides a hair styling service known as blowouts. The company was founded in 2008 by Alli Webb. History In 2008, Alli Webb began a side business called Straight At Home, which provided an in-home hair experience. As demand quickly outgrew the one-woman operation, Webb noticed a "huge hole" in her local market for a business that provided solely hair blowouts, a concept that had already gained traction in larger cities such as New York City with brands like "Blo". Along with her brother Michael Landau, former Vice President of Brand Marketing at Yahoo!, and her husband Cameron Webb, former Creative Director at ad agency Secret Weapon Marketing, Alli co-founded what would become Drybar by opening a salon in Brentwood, California in 2010. The following year, along with the help of friends, she raised $2.5 million to expand the business. Once the business expanded, Drybar looked to add investors, as well as add to its board o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meineke Car Care Center
Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc., more commonly known as just Meineke ( ) is a franchise-based international automotive repair chain with 966 locations. The chain is ranked #52 in the Franchise 500 (2014) and #54 in America’s Top Global (2013). Previously known as Meineke Discount Mufflers, the company changed its name to Meineke Car Care Centers in 2003 when it expanded to offer full-service auto repairs. History Meineke was founded in 1971 in Houston, Texas, by Sam Meineke. He started to franchise the name in 1972, with Harold Nedell. In 1983, GKN, a multinational British company, bought out Meineke Discount Mufflers. In 1986, the company headquarters moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2003, the same year Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Inc. became Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc., Meineke became a privately held company, no longer publicly traded. In January of 2021 the parent company of Meineke, Driven Brands, had an IPO and began trading on NASDAQ with the ticker symbol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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