Newly formed full-service restaurant group Cherry Bounce Hospitality is adding a fourth brand to its roster.
The Raleigh, North Carolina-based operator on Wednesday announced that it had acquired Party Fowl, a hot chicken concept with three units in Nashville. The company did not share the financial terms of the deal.
Party Fowl filed for bankruptcy in January, saying that new restaurant openings had saddled it with too much debt. It has since closed three locations and restructured.
Cherry Bounce is investing in the chain with plans to open new locations in the Southeast, where its other three concepts are concentrated. At least two new Party Fowls are slated to open next year, it said.
“We love the culture, resilience, drive and passion behind the Party Fowl brand—it’s inspiring,” said Cherry Bounce CEO Scott Taylor in a statement. “Our team looks forward to welcoming Party Fowl into our family of brands, supporting its continuing growth and helping up-level operations in this new partnership.”
Party Fowl was founded in 2014. It’s known for its Nashville-style hot chicken in a range of spice levels, boozy slushies and local beers. It has restaurants in downtown Nashville, the Donelson neighborhood and Nashville International Airport.
In addition to opening more locations, Cherry Bounce plans to update Party Fowl’s menu, including a revamp of the lunch lineup and the slushie program.
Party Fowl will complement Cherry Bounce’s other three brands, none of which specialize in chicken. They are: Trudy’s Authentic Tex-Mex, Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill and Live.Eat.Surf Restaurants. It also gets Cherry Bounce into the booming hot chicken market, which includes the fast-growing Dave's Hot Chicken.
Cherry Bounce was created earlier this year to house the full-service restaurant brands owned by Hargett Hunter, a private-equity firm that focuses on emerging restaurant brands. The group’s goal is to pool resources and grow its concepts, which currently have about a dozen locations in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina.
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