Unbridled Sells 30 Pizza Huts in KY, IN, IA, IL

08.04.2020

"Unbridled Capital recently provided sell-side advisory services to 2JR Pizza Enterprises, LLC on the sale of their 30 Pizza Hut restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. The restaurants were sold to new franchisee IPH Enterprises, led by Charan Dhaliwal.

For Unbridled, this closing now marks over a dozen Pizza Hut franchise businesses sold in the past 3 years, representing over 600 restaurants with a success rate of eclipsing 90%. These results are unprecedented, equaled in the industry only by Unbridled’s success rate in other franchise brands.

“When we decided to make this transition for our family, we were confident that Unbridled Capital was the right choice to be on our side. They are smart, responsive, experienced, trustworthy, and well-connected with buyers all over the country. Perhaps more importantly, they also made us feel like they were part of our organization, always seeking to solve problems and unravel unforeseen delays. We are very thankful for the outstanding work and perseverance of both Derek and Rick in helping achieve our goals in this sale. If anyone is looking to hire Unbridled, let me be the first to give them a big endorsement,” said Jeff Reetz.

Jeff Reetz has had Pizza Hut in his blood for decades. He started working for Pizza Hut Corporate in 1985 and spent the next 15 years moving up the ladder in operations. In 2000, he acquired the Louisville market in a refranchising initiative and later purchased the Illinois/Iowa market in 2008. It quickly became a family business as his son, Brian, spent the last decade as an instrumental piece of the business operations.

“The Reetz family has had a terrific reputation in the Pizza Hut system for over 20 years. Given their close ties to Louisville, we were honored to receive their phone call when they decided to sell. This transaction took longer than normal, then throw COVID into the mix, and it was a stressful time for everyone involved.
nJeff and Brian persevered, excelled through COVID, and were able to get the deal closed in early August. I continue to be proud of our team for helping our clients get to the closing table, especially during one of the most turbulent times in modern history. We want to congratulate both parties on a successful transaction, and we wish the Reetz family the absolute best in wherever life takes them next.

Finally, we are starting to see a strong positive shift in the Pizza Hut system. This is partly tied to heightened delivery demand through COVID, but Corporate leadership has also enacted several new strategies and technological improvements which are starting to take hold. Pizza Hut franchisees have been through a lot in the past several years and are well deserving of positive news for their businesses,” said Rick Ormsby, Managing Director.

As a condition of this closing, Unbridled Capital will make a charitable contribution to the Pizza Hut museum at Wichita State University. We want to give back to the employees who are so important to the success of the Pizza Hut 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].