Dan Chaon, CEO of Native Grill & Wings, put together an unusual group of private investors, including himself, to purchase the system and set it up for more rapid growth. He wouldn’t disclose the amount of the capital infusion, but said Brad Williams, one of the largest Freddy’s franchisees in the United States, who has a 60-store development deal with that brand, is the other lead investor. Real estate players make up the rest of the small group. Plus, three daughters of Native Grill founders Floyd, now deceased, and Judy Anderson retain a small "legacy" stake in the brand. The Anderson family took a road trip from Buffalo, New York, to Arizona in the ‘70s, and started Native New Yorker in 1978. The name was changed to Native Grill along the way.
Native Grill & Wings attracts capital
Native Grill plans to seed new markets with corporate stores, then sell franchises.
