FAT Brands has acquired chicken wing brand Native Grill & Wings from Wingtime, LLC, a subsidiary of Cybeck Capital Partners, LLC.
“Chicken wings make up a key part of FAT Brands’ diverse portfolio. Prior to forming FAT Brands, Fatburger’s first acquisition was a wing brand, Buffalo’s Cafe, in 2011,” said FAT Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn.
“We have a strong pulse on the space having been in it for a decade now. Native Grill & Wings further complements our domestic presence, providing a larger footprint for us on the West Coast when it comes to our wing brands.”
Native Grill & Wings is a sports grill with 23 franchised locations throughout Arizona, Illinois and Texas that served 20 chicken wing flavors, as well as pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.
Foley & Lardner LLP acted as legal counsel for FAT Brands, while Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP represented Wingtime LLC. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
FAT Brands also recently completed the acquisition of Fazoli’s for $130 million. Fazoli’s is a Lexington, Kentucky-based Italian fast-casual chain, operating nearly 220 restaurants in 28 states.
In 2020, the Italian quick-service brand expanded into chicken wings with the launch of delivery-only concept Wingville. The virtual concept was so successful that the brand added chicken wings to the menus of its brick-and-mortar locations in Spring 2021.
“This has been a year of tremendous growth for FAT Brands. While we have focused on expanding our footprint and scale via strategic acquisitions, we also continue to show strong same-store sales systemwide,” Wiederhorn said.
Following the two acquisitions, FAT Brands will have more than 2,300 franchised and corporate-owned restaurants globally with combined annual system-wide sales of $2.2 billion.
The franchising company currently owns Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks, Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, Elevation Burger, Yalla Mediterranean and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses.
