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How the acquisition of Bellagreen happened during a looming recessionHow the acquisition of Bellagreen happened during a looming recession

The turbulent economic time didn’t stop Ampex Brands from acquiring the 8-unit brand

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

July 26, 2022

 

Welcome to First Bite, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, your daily source of news from NRN hosted by Holly Petre.

Today, we’re examining the recent acquisition of Bellagreen by Au Bon Pain parent Ampex Brands.

On Friday, we reported exclusively that Au Bon Pain’s owner Ampex Brands acquired the fast-casual brand Bellagreen from Bellagreen Holdings LLC which also owns the Original ChopShop. Chopshop will remain its own entity now.

Ampex Brands purchased Au Bon Pain in 2021 from Panera Bread and added it to its portfolio of quick service and c-store brands that include KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and 7-Eleven.

Terms of the Bellagreen deal were not disclosed but it officially closed on July 18.

NRN senior editor Ron Ruggless has more on the deal in this episode.

Plus, catch up on all the top news of the day with our daily news recap at the beginning of each episode.

Be sure to subscribe to First Bite wherever you get your podcasts or on CastosSpotify, or Apple Podcasts.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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