The New York-based firm is one of the country’s biggest and best-known private-equity firms,and it has taken a keen interest in the restaurant business over the years. In 2014, Apollo took private the publicly traded chain Chuck E. Cheese’s for just under $1 billion. Then, late last year, it acquired the fast-casual Mexican chain Qdoba from Jack in the Box for $305 million.
Apollo has had its hands in a number of restaurant chains over the years, such as CKE Restaurants, which it sold to Roark in 2013. And its founder, Leon Black, recently acquired Huddle House through his family office investment fund, Elysium Management.