MORE CONSOLIDATION AMONG RESTAURANTS

The consolidation trend is hitting all three tiers pretty hard and the restaurant industry is no exception. Restaurants Unlimited (a holding of Sun Capital Partners) plans to acquire Pacific Coast Restaurants after the latter agreed to a buyout. No details of the transaction were disclosed but the deal is expected to close in the next month or two.

Pacific Coast Restaurants include Newport Bay, Henry's 12th Street Tavern, and
Manzana Rotisserie Grill. Restaurants Unlimited consists of three primary brands, Kincaid's, Palomino, and Pizzaria Fondi.

B.R. Guest, a New York-based group, was also recently acquired by Starwood Capital Group, owner and operator of the Le Meridien chain.