COLUMBUS Ohio G&R Acquisitions Inc. said it has purchased Damon's Grill, the second Columbus, Ohio-based casual-dining brand acquired by the Pittsburgh company in a matter of months. Terms of the purchase from Alliance Development Holdings, a Charlotte, N.C.-based construction company, were not disclosed.
Earlier, G&R acquired Max & Erma’s, an operator or franchisor of 108 casual restaurants. Damon’s consists of 65 company-operated and franchised stores.
G&R will position both Damon's and Max & Erma's for growth and combine some operations for the efficiencies of scale, said Gary Reinert Sr., the restaurant veteran who leads the concern. Reinert also said he plans to sell some company-owned restaurants in both brands to franchisees and to recruit new franchisees
G&R also appointed David L. Brown to be Damon's chief executive. Brown had been serving as interim CEO at Damon's since Carl Howard left in June to take the CEO post at Fazoli's. Before coming to Damon's, Brown had been general manager and chief operating officer of Chartiers Country Club in Pittsburgh and director of food and beverage at Central Michigan Inns.
G&R announced in late April that it planned to buy Max & Erma's for $10.2 million. Several days later, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Reinert and his company also were interested in purchasing Damon's, whose owner had earlier acknowledged it was seeking strategic alternatives for the struggling chain. However, an official at Alliance Development later told the local newspaper that the company was only seeking Reinert's "assistance in a reorganization effort" at Damon's and that G&R was not pursuing an acquisition.
Reports indicate that Damon's and Max & Erma's will remain based in Columbus.