"Unbridled Capital recently provided buy-side advisory services to Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (RBD) on the purchase of 69 KFC and KFC/Taco Bell multi-brand restaurants in the Los Angeles area. The restaurants were purchased from Great American Chicken (GAC), led by CEO Aryeh Aslan.
For Unbridled, this closing now marks over a dozen KFC assignments in the past 3 years with a success rate approaching 95%. These results are unprecedented, equaled in the industry only by Unbridled’s success rate in other franchise brands.
“Unbridled Capital has been a valuable partner, helping us develop and execute a strategy for entrance into the mainland US market. They have deep connections with large Yum franchisees, and they gave us access to the best opportunities that fit our acquisition criteria. Importantly, they were excellent stewards of our interests, persistent during negotiations and gave valuable insights during due diligence and the corporate approval process. We are thankful for their partnership, and they certainly receive our highest endorsement,” said Russel Creedy, Group CEO.
RBD became a KFC franchisee in 1997 and has since grown its footprint to 232 KFCs and 353 restaurants overall, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr. They operate in New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and now California, with a staff of over 11,000 that serves hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide every day. RBD is traded on the New Zealand Stock Exchange and Australian Securities Exchange.
“I am so thankful to Russel, Grant and the entire RBD team for the tremendous opportunity and for their trust in us. Transactions of this size always take a great amount of teamwork and I am proud of the persistence of our Unbridled team throughout the process. The KFC franchise community in many parts of the Western US has been fragmented for years and I am hopeful that RBD will be able to strengthen the brand in these areas, through strong operations, refreshed assets, and future acquisitions.
Personally, I have always wanted to work with Yum franchisees internationally, knowing that Yum’s success spans much farther than our domestic borders. We wish a big congratulations to RBD and GAC with this successful closing, and we look forward to helping RBD grow here,” said Rick Ormsby, Managing Director.
As a condition of this closing, Unbridled Capital will make a charitable contribution to the KFC Foundation. We want to give back to the employees who are so important to the success of the KFC brand. We want to be a blessing because we have been blessed.
With several hundred restaurants under current M&A and financing assignments, Unbridled Capital provides the franchise community with unrivaled investment banking services for the world’s leading brands. For more information, please contact Rick Ormsby at 502-252-6422 or [email protected]