ATLANTA Industry veterans Dick Holbrook and Sam Haddock acquired the remaining equity in the breakfast- and lunch-focused J. Christopher’s family-dining brand for full control under new parent company J. Christopher’s Restaurants LLC.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Holbrook and Haddock, who originally partnered with J. Christopher’s founders Jeff McCann and Chris Brogdon, now fully own the 22-unit brand, all of its intellectual property and the franchising rights to the concept, as well as two corporate stores.
Founders McCann and Brogdon will continue to own and operate 18 J. Christopher’s stores under a licensing agreement with the parent company. They also own the rights to develop franchised restaurants in the Nashville, Tenn., area.
“Our relationship with Jay and Chris has truly been a great partnership,” Holbrook, chief executive of J. Christopher’s, said in a statement this week. “Their vision to create a neighborhood daytime breakfast and lunch spot serving familiar food with flair combined with the knowledge that Sam and I have about the restaurant industry has catapulted the success of J. Christopher’s. We look forward to taking the brand to even greater heights and will without a doubt continue to consult with Jay and Chris on a regular basis.”
Haddock currently is a partner and manager of Red Hawk Restaurant Group LLC, which owns and operates Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurant in Alabama. Holbrook is the former president and chief operating officer of AFC Enterprises Inc., which at the time was parent to Church’s Chicken, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Cinnabon and Seattle Coffee Company.
J. Christopher’s opened its first restaurant in 1996.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].