Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

Success in the restaurant industry can be tricky, but today's guest has really nurtured the built-in growth opportunities in his business, with remarkable results.

On this episode we're sitting down with Andy Wiederhorn, President and CEO of FAT Brands. FAT Brands is a global franchising company that acquires, markets and develops a range of casual and quick-service dining restaurant concepts.

Andy made his first restaurant acquisition in 2003 with Fatburger, and went on to acquire Buffalo's Cafe in 2011, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses in 2017. That same year, Andy took FAT Brands public. He continued FAT Brand's aggressive acquisition strategy over the next few years, striking deals with legacy brands including Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Marble Slab Creamery, and Great American Cookies, to name a few. He also struck deals with Twin Peaks, Fazoli's, and Native Grill & Wings. The FAT Brand portfolio now features 17 restaurant concepts with more than 2300 locations worldwide.

Andy's been incredibly busy for the past 20 years, but he was able to join us to talk about the company's history, growth and their strategy for the next few years.

Show Notes

Success in the restaurant industry can be tricky, but today's guest has really nurtured the built-in growth opportunities in his business, with remarkable results.

On this episode we're sitting down with Andy Wiederhorn, President and CEO of FAT Brands. FAT Brands is a global franchising company that acquires, markets and develops a range of casual and quick-service dining restaurant concepts.

Andy made his first restaurant acquisition in 2003 with Fatburger, and went on to acquire Buffalo's Cafe in 2011, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses in 2017. That same year, Andy took FAT Brands public. He continued FAT Brand's aggressive acquisition strategy over the next few years, striking deals with legacy brands including Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Marble Slab Creamery, and Great American Cookies, to name a few. He also struck deals with Twin Peaks, Fazoli's, and Native Grill & Wings. The FAT Brand portfolio now features 17 restaurant concepts with more than 2300 locations worldwide. 

Andy's been incredibly busy for the past 20 years, but he was able to join us to talk about the company's history, growth and their strategy for the next few years.

Highlights:
  • Andy's background in finance and his first acquisition with Fatburger (3:03)
  • Andy's must-haves when looking at new acquisitions (5:17)
  • The portfolio's categories and how they work together (6:13)
  • Andy discusses how the portfolio will look 5 years from now (7:29)
  • How different concepts are doing in the current economic environment (8:15)
  • Andy's perspective on supporting his franchisees (9:26)
  • Co-branding with FAT Brands (10:26)
  • Opportunities for new acquisitions in this market environment (11:51)
  • The benefit of Andy's finance background (13:39)
  • Fat Brands' manufacturing opportunities (14:35)
  • The team's approach to setting up FAT Brands (15:47)
  • Andy's business philosophy during COVID and how the brands handled it (17:12)
  • How the chains are navigating inflation (19:24)
  • What we can expect for FAT Brands in 2023 (20:37)
  • Andy talks about his team (21:37)
  • What investors might miss about FAT Brands (22:34)
Links:
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website
Andy Wiederhorn LinkedIn
Andrew Wiederhorn bio FAT Brands
Andy Wiederhorn Twitter
FAT Brands website
FAT Brands Twitter
FAT Brands LinkedIn

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com