Financing

What private equity thinks of the restaurant business right now

A Deeper Dive: Andrew Smith, cofounder of the private-equity firm Savory Fund, joins the podcast to talk about investing in emerging restaurant chains.

The best time to invest in a restaurant chain may be when the industry is struggling.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Andrew Smith, the cofounder of the private-equity firm Savory Fund. 

We have long wanted Smith on the podcast, largely because of Savory’s unique history. Smith has a restaurant operations background as a franchisee of brands like Little Caesars. 

These days, Savory invests in emerging chains. The ifirm has invested in brands like Swig, Mo’ Bettahs, Houston TX Hot Chicken, Pincho, Via 313 and others.

Smith discussed his firm’s investment strategies, what they look for and how to tell whether a brand will be a winner or not. He also discussed the right time to exit an investment and why it’s not about time. He also notes that tough times for the restaurant business can be good times to make an investment and explains why that is on the podcast.

Check it out. 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

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

Financing

The finances of younger consumers have taken a nosedive this year

The Bottom Line: Unemployment among younger Americans has soared, as have student loan delinquency rates, while average rent keeps going up. No wonder restaurant traffic is awful.

Financing

Restaurant franchisors should put the brakes on share buybacks

The Bottom Line: Publicly traded companies often spend their extra cash to buy back shares. But franchisors of struggling chains might be better off investing that cash in the restaurants.

Financing

Key takeaways from the recent round of restaurant company earnings

The Bottom Line: Full-service restaurant chains are winning, slightly, in a weak overall market. Brands are rethinking unit count, focusing on service and pushing a lot of value.

Trending

More from our partners