Private equity firm Hargett Hunter announced the appointment of Scott Taylor as CEO of the company’s newly created full-service restaurant group, Cherry Bounce Hospitality. Taylor previously worked at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, where he spent 14 years at the company, first as president and COO, and most recently as president and CEO—a position that he held for eighteen months until last June.
In his new role, Taylor will oversee the full-service brands under the Cherry Bounce Hospitality umbrella, including Trudy’s Authentic Tex-Mex, Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill, and Live.Eat.Surf Restaurants, and will build out the full-service portfolio under Hargett Hunter. The company, led by founding partner and managing director Jeff Brock and partner Brian Fauver, is actively seeking more acquisitions and is currently in discussion with other brands to join the fold soon.
“I’m excited to join the Hargett Hunter family in this important leadership role as we focus on strategic expansion with our newly created restaurant platform,” Taylor said in a statement. “I believe the right culture attracts the right people and creates special opportunities. I aligned quickly with the Hargett Hunter team on a shared vision and strategy to build best-in-class teams and partnerships across the full-service restaurant space.”
Hargett Hunter has invested in nine restaurant brands total. In addition to the four current restaurants in its portfolio, the company has also invested in Stacked, Bellagreen, Chop Shop, Chopt, and Bojangles. The purpose of creating Cherry Bounce as a hospitality platform is to “support the leadership teams of the regional casual dining brands” to “achieve their respective growth, profitability and operational goals.”
“The opportunity to successfully scale authentic, differentiated and approachable restaurant brands has never been greater,” “Scott’s presence allows us to stack the deck to enable our brands to reach their full potential. His passion for hospitality and incredible track record of driving growth will help us continue to realize the vision for building the strongest growth brands in the industry.”
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