Four years ago, Peter Rahal was making protein bars in his parents’ Glen Ellyn kitchen. Today he agreed to sell his company, Chicago Bar Company, to Kellogg for $600 million. “We couldn’t have dreamed of this opportunity,” says Rahal, 31, who co-founded the company that makes the RXBar—made from only eggs, dates, nuts—with his childhood… read more

Troy Bader to Succeed John Gainor as President and Chief Executive Officer of International Dairy Queen, Inc. International Dairy Queen, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and long-time leader in the quick-service restaurant industry, announced that effective Dec. 31, 2017, current President and Chief Executive Officer, John Gainor, will retire. Current Chief Operating Officer,… read more

Four Corners Property Trust, a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of high-quality, net-leased restaurant properties is pleased to announce the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire 41 restaurant properties from Washington Prime Group Inc. for a purchase price of approximately $67.2 million cash. The transaction is priced at a cap rate consistent… read more

In the wake of the tragic Harvey deluge affecting so many of its customers in the Greater Houston area, Sweet Tomatoes www.sweettomatoes.com, with four locations in Houston, and Souplantation www.souplantation.com in California, are offering the following relief efforts: Free meals to First Responders and other volunteers with appropriate IDs including police officers, firefighters, Texas National Guard members and FEMA personnel… read more

Brands Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Homestyle Dining LLC, parent company to the Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse brands (“Ponderosa” and “Bonanza”). Once the $10.5 million deal has closed, Ponderosa and Bonanza will be added to the Company’s existing portfolio of brands that includes Fatburger, Buffalo’s Cafe and Buffalo’s Express. The Company also… read more

Rotunda Capital Acquires IF&P Foods Rotunda Capital Partners, LLC, a lower middle-market private equity firm, has acquired IF&P Foods, LLC. The acquisition will accelerate the growth trajectory of one of the leading produce distributors in the Midwest. IF&P was formed in 1997 through the merger of Indianapolis Fruit (founded 1947) and Piazza Produce (founded 1970),… read more

Chicago Was Too Tough for These Burger Chains There is, apparently, such a thing as too many burgers. Only a few years after a horde of hamburger chains move to Chicago, some are already closing. Others are nixing expansion plans and watching sales slip, slammed by a glut of competition and an industry-wide slowdown as… read more

‘Worthless’ Subway ‘Footlong’ Sandwich Settlement is Thrown out: U.S. Court U.S. federal appeals court threw out a class-action settlement intended to resolve claims that the Subway sandwich chain deceived customers by selling “Footlong” subs that were less than a foot long. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago called the settlement “utterly worthless,”… read more