The franchisor of Twin Peaks has agreed to sell a majority stake in the breastaurant concept to its largest franchisee, 15-unit La Cima Restaurants, for an undisclosed amount.
As part of the deal, La Cima COO Joe Hummel will replace Starlette Johnson as CEO of the chain after what the parties called “a brief transition.” La Cima Managing Partner Coby Brooks will join Twin Peaks’ board, which is chaired by the concept’s founder and Johnson’s predecessor, Randy DeWitt.
DeWitt relinquished the post to Johnson to focus on the other concepts in his Front Burner Restaurants group, which includes Velvet Taco, Whiskey Cake and Mexican Sugar. Johnson will resume her post on Front Burner’s board after the transitions are completed.
In the announcement of the deal, DeWitt thanked Johnson for guiding Twin Peaks through what he termed "a challenging period in our company’s history.”
With the purchase, La Cima will own or hold the franchise rights to 73 Twin Peaks restaurants in total. The chain operates in 25 states. La Cima currently has units in six of those.
Twin Peaks was founded in 2005 by DeWitt and business partner Scott Gordon.
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