Premier Restaurant Group, owner of Forever Yogurt, has acquired the 31-unit Cheeburger Cheeburger brand, the company said Wednesday.
Wilmington, Del.-based PRG, which acquired the 28-unit Forever Yogurt in July 2016, said it intends to expand the burger concept with a new fast-casual format.
PRG did not disclose the terms of the deal with Fort Myers, Fla.-based Cheeburger Cheeburger Restaurants Inc.
“Cheeburger is a great acquisition for PRG and allows us to fully leverage the knowledge of my experienced and skilled team,” said Anthony Wedo, PRG founder and CEO, in a statement.
Cheeburger Cheeburger was founded in 1986 in Sanibel Island, Fla., and was an early pioneer in the better-burger segment. The concept, which also offers milk shakes, has a name that links to a John Belushi sketch on “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s about a fictional Greek-owned restaurant called Olympia Cafe that the writer said was based on the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago.
“Tony is a visionary leader who is expanding the brand into new formats,” said Rob Crews, PRG chief concept officer. “We have already developed and approved a fast-casual prototype that several franchisees have committed to opening within the next six months.”
Cheeburger Cheeburger has traditional and airport units in 12 states and one each in Canada and Saudi Arabia.
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