Inspire Brands

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Inspire Brands LLC
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
FoundedFebruary 5, 2018 (2018-02-05)
FoundersNeal Aronson and Paul J. Brown
Headquarters
Sandy Springs, Georgia
,
United States
Number of locations
33,300+ (2026)
Key people
  • Paul J. Brown
  • Kate Jaspon
  • Scott Murphy
  • Yasir Anwar
  • John Kelly
RevenueUS$33.4 billion (2026)
OwnerRoark Capital Group
Number of employees
650,000+ (2026)
Subsidiaries
Websiteinspirebrands.com

Inspire Brands LLC is an American fast-food restaurant franchise company. Backed by Roark Capital Group, it owns the Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In, Jimmy John's, Dunkin', and Baskin-Robbins chains, which have a combined 33,300 locations and US$32.6 billion in system sales. It is one of the largest fast food corporations in the world.[1][2][3][4]

History

Inspire Brands was formed when Arby's Restaurant Group merged with Buffalo Wild Wings on February 5, 2018. Buffalo Wild Wings also owned the Rusty Taco chain.[5][6] Arby's CEO Paul Brown was selected to continue as Inspire Brands CEO.[5] Brown expected that Inspire would acquire additional chains in different segments. He planned to structure the company similar to Hilton Hotels & Resorts.[7] Co-owner The Wendy's Company's stake was reduced from 18.5% to 12.3% due to the infusion of capital from Roark Capital to fund the purchase.[8] In September 2018, Inspire had the 27-location R Taco reverted to the Rusty Taco name.[9]

On August 16, 2018, The Wendy's Company announced that it sold its 12.3% stake in Inspire Brands back to the company for $450 million, which included a 38% premium over the stake's most recent valuation.[2] On August 28, 2018, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced that Inspire was moving its headquarters to Sandy Springs, Georgia in 2019.[10]

Inspire Brands on September 25, 2018, announced that it was buying Oklahoma City-based Sonic Drive-In for $2.3 billion.[11] The acquisition was completed on December 7, 2018.[12]

Inspire Brands announced that it was buying Jimmy John's on September 25, 2019.[3][13] The deal closed on October 18, 2019.[14]

Inspire received Franchise Times’ 2019 Dealmaker of the Year award for its acquisitions of Buffalo Wild Wings and Sonic Drive-In.[15]

Inspire Brands on October 25, 2020, announced that it was buying Dunkin' Brands for $11.3 billion. [16][17] The acquisition was completed on December 15, 2020.[18]

In March 2021, Inspire Brands sent a review of its government lobbying activities to their franchisees and employees where they highlighted their success in keeping the $15 minimum wage out of Democrats' American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 relief bill President Joe Biden signed earlier that month.[19]

In August 2021, Inspire Brands announced that it would source only cage-free eggs by 2025.[20]

On December 19, 2022, Inspire Brands announced that it had sold Rusty Taco to Gala Capital Partners, owner of Cicis Pizza, Dunn Brothers Coffee, and Mooyah.[21]

In March 2026, Roark Capital Group considered an initial public offering for Inspire Brands, which could raise about $2 billion as early as 2026.[22]

In May 2026, the company signed a franchise agreement with Montreal-based holding company Foodtastic to bring the Dunkin' restaurant chain back to Canada eight years after the company ceased its operations in the North. Peter Mammas, the president and CEO of restaurant holding company Foodtastic said Its return this time will be different, and that this time the chain’s focus will be on Canadian ownership. Mammas expects the first Dunkin’ cafes to open in Canada by the end of 2026. A year from now, he says the company will likely be able to open a cafe a week, and about 50 cafes a year. “We have boots on the ground, so we’re going to have local support to support the franchisees,” he said. He also said the company will concentrate on opening stories in Quebec and Ontario for the first two years before opening cafes in the Maritimes and the West Coast.[23]

Brands

As of June 2025, the chains that the company owns and/or operates include:

References

  1. "Inspire Brands and the Making of a Restaurant Group Unlike Any Other". QSR. August 1, 2023.
  2. "Wendy's sells stake in Arby's owner for $450 million". CNBC. August 16, 2018. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  3. Dyer, Kristian (September 25, 2019). "Arby's owner beefs up portfolio, eating up another fast-food franchise". Fox Business. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  4. "Inspire Brands Fact Sheet May 2026" (PDF). Inspire Brands. May 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  5. Thorn, Bret (February 5, 2018). "Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings new parent Inspire Brands debuts". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  6. "Arby's closes deal for Buffalo Wild Wings, makes new company". Star Tribune. Associated Press. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  7. Klein, Danny (February 5, 2018). "Arby's CEO: We're Not Done Buying Brands After BWW". QSR magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  8. Klein, Danny (August 2018). "Wendy's Sells Inspire Brands Stake for $450 Million". QSR Magazine.
  9. Romeo, Peter (September 5, 2018). "Inspire Brands reveals plans for its 3rd brand, now Rusty Taco". Restaurant Business. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  10. Neighbor Newspapers Staff (August 28, 2018). "Inspire Brands bringing 1,100 jobs, $32 million to Sandy Springs". Northside Neighbor. Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  11. Thorn, Bret (September 25, 2018). "Inspire Brands to buy Sonic Corp. for $2.3B". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  12. Ruggless, Ron (December 7, 2018). "Inspire closes on Sonic acquisition". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  13. Lucas, Amelia (September 25, 2019). "Arby's owner Inspire Brands buys Jimmy John's". CNBC. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  14. Ruggless, Ron (18 October 2019). "Inspire completes purchase of Jimmy John's". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  15. "Art of the deal panel to highlight FFGC". Franchise Times. April 24, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  16. Fontanella-Khan, James; Aliaj, Ortenca; Gray, Alistair; Temple, Patrick (October 25, 2020). "Dunkin' closes in on $9bn sale to Inspire Brands". Financial Times. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  17. Haddon, Heather (30 October 2020). "Inspire Brands to Acquire Dunkin' Brands Group for $11.3 Billion Including Debt". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  18. "Inspire Brands Completes Acquisition of Dunkin' Brands". www.businesswire.com. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  19. "This Fast Food Giant Bragged About Killing $15 Minimum Wage". Newsweek. March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  20. "Dunkin' Donuts and Arby's commits to sourcing only cage-free eggs". New Food Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  21. Maze, Jonathan (December 19, 2022). "Inspire Brands sells Rusty Taco to the owner of Cicis Pizza". Restaurant Business. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  22. "Roark weights $2 billion IPO of Dunkin Owner Inspire Brands". Reuters. March 6, 2026.
  23. "How Dunkin' plans to conquer Canada: Healthy menu, trendy beverages and focus on Gen Z". CTV News. May 12, 2026.