 |
Eight Cucina! Cucina! Italian Cafe Locations Acquired by Joey Tomato's Mediterranean Grill |
|
Cucina! Cucina!, a division of Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc., announced that eight full-service Cucina! Cucina! Italian Cafes and the associated trademark have been acquired by an investment group comprising Joey Tomato's Mediterranean Grill, a Pacific Northwest restaurant group, and Gibralt Capital Corporation. |
Under terms of the agreement, seven Cucina! Cucina! restaurants in Washington (Seattle, Tukwila, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, and Tacoma) and the Tigard, Ore., location will change ownership. Four Cucina! Cucina! Italian Cafes outside of the Seattle area will remain under the control of Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc.
Joey Tomato's has plans to reposition the restaurants to reflect a "premium casual" concept. Menu changes will include more entree selections and a broader spectrum of Mediterranean-influenced dishes.
"The opportunity to purchase Cucina! Cucina! was ideal because the origins of Joey Tomato's business model parallel what Cucina! Cucina! has built over the last 15 years," said Jeff Fuller, president of Joey Tomato's. "We will be taking a successful concept and improving the guests' experience through our commitment to quality food and exemplary service."
Current employees of Cucina! Cucina! will not be affected by the transfer of ownership. However, the company plans to phase out existing cross-promotional marketing programs with other restaurant groups.
Joey Tomato's, based in Vancouver, is a leading restaurant company that has been in business for 11 years. Owned by the Fuller family and operated by Jeff Fuller, the group currently comprises nine Joey Tomato's locations in British Columbia and Alberta. The Fuller family also owns and operates 50 Earls restaurants in western Canada and the United States.
Gibralt Capital Corporation is a private equity firm with offices in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Gibralt Capital is a past investor in the North American steakhouse group, Keg Restaurants.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Post Release
Get Content
Email News Brief
Saved Articles
Advertising
Handheld
XML/RSS
Post News