A private equity group led by former Sonic CEO Clifford Hudson has acquired Nature’s Table, a better-for-you fast casual.
The Orlando-based concept has franchise locations in Florida, Georgia, and Indiana. The chain specializes in breakfast and lunch offerings in nontraditional environments, like office buildings, airports, and gyms.
DIA Equity Partners purchased Nature’s Table through its restaurant subsidiary, Fast Fresh Brands. Hudson serves as a principal of the private equity firm and as chairman of Fast Fresh Brands. He served as Sonic’s CEO from 1995 to 2018, when the chain was purchased by Inspire Brands. During his tenure, the company grew from 1,428 locations to more than 3,500.
Other board members include Sid Feltenstein, CEO of Yorkshire Global Restaurants, Neal Black, CEO of Jos. A Bank Clothiers, Craig Miller, former chief digital and information officer of Planet Fitness and Sonic, and Ted Kergan, founder of Kergan Brothers Restaurants and a former 60-unit operator of Sonic.
Founded in 1977, Nature’s Table has 42 locations, according to its website. It sells breakfast, wraps, sandwiches, salads, protein bowls, soups, smoothies, and açai bowls. Its target locations are hospitals, colleges and universities, office complexes, transportation centers, and retail centers. It aims for 600 to 1,700 square feet of space.
Fast Fresh Brands also owns Oklahoma City–based Bee Healthy Café, which similarly focuses on the walk-up breakfast and lunch segment and health-conscious menu items such as smoothies, wraps, and salads. The chain has 12 shops, several of which are in nontraditional areas, and six grab-and-go locations in medical centers.
The CEO of Fast Fresh Brands is Cody Pepper.
“The company is poised for continued success as it integrates Nature’s Table into its operations,” the company said in a news release. “DIA Equity Partners LLC has future plans for the acquisition of additional complementary dining concepts that align with its current fast-casual models.”
