Financing

2 burger brands swallowed by mega-franchisor

A Montreal-based franchisor of more than 48 quick-service restaurant brands has added two more to the fold: The Counter, a better-burger concept, and the similar Built Custom Burgers operation.

MTY Food Group said it bought the concepts outright through an affiliate, but did not divulge the purchase prices. Together, it said, The Counter and Built consist of 44 locations, 41 of which are franchised.

MTY noted that 34 of the restaurants are located in the United States.

The deal is the latest acquisition by MTY, whose other purchases include Kahala Brands, franchisor of Cold Stone CreameryPinkberry and America’s Taco Shop.

“Since the acquisition of Kahala Brands in July 2016, MTY has been seeking potential additions to its strong portfolio of brands,” MTY CEO and founder Stanley Ma said in the announcement of the deal. “The Counter and Built fit that perfectly.”

MTY’s other brands include Manchu Wok, Taco Time and Yogen Fruz.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Marketing

Drops become restaurant chains' new loyalty program incentive

Marketing Bites: Taco Bell perfected the feature with its Taco Tuesday Drops, and several other brands have since added their own version, offering everything from merch to free food.

Financing

The casual-dining comeback starts at the top

Sit-down restaurant chains showed signs of life last year. But much of the growth came from just a few brands, primarily Chili’s.

Food

El Pollo Loco accelerates innovation to fill menu gaps

Behind the Menu: Chef Rene Pisciotti has kept R&D constantly in motion at the chicken chain to build a strong pipeline. First order of business: A signature chicken tender.

Trending

More from our partners