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Corner Bakery Cafe sells to Boston Market owner PandyaCorner Bakery Cafe sells to Boston Market owner Pandya

Affiliates of Roark Capital had held fast-casual brand since 2011

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

October 29, 2020

2 Min Read
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Affiliates of Roark Capital Group have sold the Dallas-based Corner Bakery Cafe brand to Pandya Restaurant Growth Brands LLC, the companies said Thursday.

The fast-casual cafe brand had been held been a Roark subsidiary since 2011. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pandya Restaurant Growth Brands is one of the Rohan Group of Companies, which owns Engage Brands LLC and purchased Golden, Colo.-based Boston Market earlier this year.

Pandya is owned by by the real-estate investor and restaurant operator, Jignesh (Jay) Pandya of Bucks County, Pa. 

Pandya sees opportunities for strategic alliances between Corner Bakery and Boston Market, the company said in a statement.

“Our acquisition of Corner Bakery aligns with what we believe families are seeking — high-quality kitchen-crafted food and good, consistent customer service,” Pandya said in a statement.

“We are very pleased to partner with Pandya Restaurant Growth Brands as we seek to expand our brand,” said Frank Paci, Corner Bakery CEO.

“Pandya Restaurant Growth Brands brings an enthusiastic, experienced, and successful ownership group to Corner Bakery, as well as access to resources that we need to continue to operate our business in this challenging environment,” Paci said. “With the strategic and financial backing Jay and his team bring, we will continue to focus on key operational initiatives to improve guest experience, menu development, and the growth of our brand. We are now well-positioned to achieve future success during a period of unprecedented disruption for our industry.”

Corner Bakery ranked No. 121 among chains in U.S. systemwide sales in the Nation’s Restaurant News most recent Top 200 census. For the fiscal year ended December 2019, the company had $361.1 million in domestic sales, down from $362 million in the preceding year. It had 178 units at year-end, down from 182 in the preceding year.

Corner Bakery has units in 23 states and Washington, D.C.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

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About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

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