Sponsored By

Five chains that could be soldFive chains that could be sold

Blog: After Popeyes deal, these are the companies that could be next

Jonathan Maze, Senior Financial Editor

February 24, 2017

5 Slides
dunkin donuts

Already have an account?

jonathan-mazergtb2015_0.jpgThis post is part of the On the Margin blog.

February isn’t even over yet and we’ve already seen two sizable deals involving publicly traded restaurants: The January sale of Bob Evans Restaurants to Golden Gate Capital and this week’s purchase of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. by Burger King owner Restaurant Brands International.

As I said earlier this month, several factors could mean that 2017 has the makings for a big year restaurant mergers and acquisitions: There are buyers out there willing to pay high multiples to get what they want.

In addition, some companies might simply be better off privately owned. And debt is cheap.

There are several publicly traded companies that could find themselves buyout targets under these conditions. Some of these are more obvious than others — having been the subject of reported chatter or speculation. 

Jonathan Maze, Nation’s Restaurant News senior financial editor, does not directly own stock or interest in a restaurant company.

Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter at @jonathanmaze

About the Author

Jonathan Maze

Senior Financial Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Jonathan Maze covers finance for Nations Restaurant News, as well as restaurant chains based in the Midwest.

Jonathan came to NRN in 2014 after seven years covering restaurants for Franchise Times Magazine and the Restaurant Finance Monitor. There, he created an award-winning blog that reported on and analyzed the restaurant industry. He is routinely quoted in various mainstream press articles, including the Associated Press, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Denver Post and Yahoo! Finance. He lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with his wife, two children and their cat.

Reach Jonathan at [email protected], or by phone at 651 633-6526.

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.