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FAT Brands’ Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones confidentially file for IPOFAT Brands’ Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones confidentially file for IPO

FAT Brands announced that Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones, as a combined entity, submitted a registration statement to the SEC

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

May 14, 2024

2 Min Read
Twin Peaks Patio 0 0
Twin Peaks is finally (likely) going public after more than a half a year of speculation.Twin Peaks

Joanna Fantozzi

Franchising business and 18-concept parent company FAT Brands announced Tuesday that Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones, operating together as a joint entity, submitted a registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to become a standalone public reporting company.

This is the first step in the process toward FAT Brands taking Twin Peaks public, with an IPO likely to follow soon. The news of Twin Peaks likely filing for an IPO in 2024 was first reported on last October, with former CEO and current board chair Andy Wiederhorn saying at the time that the deal could take place as soon as Q2 or Q3 of 2024.

FAT Brands did not release any further information on the filing, including any valuation of a potential IPO or timing of next steps:

“Completion of the potential transaction remains subject to various conditions, including effectiveness of the registration statement and final approval of the board of directors of FAT Brands Inc.,” the company said in a statement.

The announcement of Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones filing for an IPO together has been overshadowed by the recent news regarding the recent fraud charges that the SEC has brandished against Andy Wiederhorn, regarding the misappropriation of $27 million of company funds, which the SEC alleges was used for the former FAT Brands CEO’s personal expenditures.

Related:FAT Brands is likely to take Twin Peaks public in 2024

As Wiederhorn and multiple past FAT Brands associate grapple with the charges announced this week – in which the company has denied any wrongdoing — FAT Brands is also struggling with its challenging debt to income ratio. Wiederhorn has stipulated in multiple earnings calls that funding from a Twin Peaks IPO would be used to tamp down the company’s debt to income ratio.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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