Inspire Brands
Inspire Brands Inc., formerly Arby's Restaurant Group Inc., is a holding company and the owner and franchisor[6] of the Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In, Jimmy John's, and Rusty Taco restaurant chains. The company's headquarters and Global Support Center is located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, in metro Atlanta's Perimeter Center district.[7] Inspire Brands is owned by Roark Capital Group.[8] The acquisition of Jimmy John's made Inspire the fourth largest restaurant chain group.[1]
Formerly | Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. |
---|---|
Private | |
Founded | February 5, 2018 |
Founders | Neal Aronson and Paul J. Brown |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 14,000 (2019[1]) |
Areas served | |
Key people | Paul J. Brown (CEO) |
Revenue | US$ 7.6 billion (2017[5]) |
Owner | Roark Capital Group |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | inspirebrands |
History
Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. (ARG) was renamed Inspire Brands, Inc. as the company took ownership of Buffalo Wild Wings on February 5, 2018. Buffalo Wild Wings also owned the Rusty Taco chain.[9][10] Arby's CEO Paul Brown was selected to continue as Inspire Brand CEO.[9] Brown expected that Inspire would acquire additional chains in different segments. He plans to structure the company similar to Hilton Hotels & Resorts.[11] Co-owner The Wendy's Company's stake was reduced from 18.5% to 12.3% due to the infusion of capital from Roark to fund the purchase.[12] In September 2018, Inspire had the 27-location R Taco reverted to the Rusty Taco name.[13]
On August 16, 2018, The Wendy's Company announced that it sold its 12.3% stake in Inspire Brands back to the company for $450 million, which includes a 38% premium over its stake most recent valuation.[8] On August 28, 2018, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced that Inspire was moving its headquarters to Sandy Springs, Georgia in 2019.[5]
Inspire Brands on September 25, 2018 announced that it was buying Oklahoma City-based Sonic Drive-In for $2.3 billion.[14] The acquisition was completed on December 7, 2018.[15]
Inspire Brands announced that it was buying Jimmy John's on September 25, 2019.[1][16] The deal closed on October 18.[17]
References
- Dyer, Kristian (September 25, 2019). "Arby's owner beefs up portfolio, eating up another fast-food franchise". Fox Business. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- "Arby's FAQ". Arby's.
- "Choose Country". buffalowildwings.com. Buffalo Wild Wings. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- "Inspire Brands Fact Sheet" (PDF). inspirebrands.com. Inspire Brands. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- Neighbor Newspapers Staff (August 28, 2018). "Inspire Brands bringing 1,100 jobs, $32 million to Sandy Springs". Northside Neighbor. Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- Company website
- Desk, Area Development News (August 29, 2018). "Inspire Brands Locates Headquarters- Global Support Center in Sandy Springs, Georgia". Area Development. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- "Wendy's sells stake in Arby's owner for $450 million". CNBC. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- Thorn, Bret (February 5, 2018). "Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings new parent Inspire Brands debuts". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- "Arby's closes deal for Buffalo Wild Wings, makes new company". Star Tribune. Associated Press. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- Klein, Danny (February 5, 2018). "Arby's CEO: We're Not Done Buying Brands After BWW". QSR magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- Klein, Danny (August 2018). "Wendy's Sells Inspire Brands Stake for $450 Million". QSR Magazine.
- Romeo, Peter (September 5, 2018). "Inspire Brands reveals plans for its 3rd brand, now Rusty Taco". Restaurant Business. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- Thorn, Bret (September 25, 2018). "Inspire Brands to buy Sonic Corp. for $2.3B". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- Ruggless, Ron (December 7, 2018). "Inspire closes on Sonic acquisition". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- Lucas, Amelia (September 25, 2019). "Arby's owner Inspire Brands buys Jimmy John's". CNBC. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- Ruggless, Ron (October 18, 2019). "Inspire completes purchase of Jimmy John's". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved October 21, 2019.