Franchising

Southpaw acquires 35 Taco Bells in Northern Virginia, D.C.-Metro Maryland

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December 22, 2021

Southpaw has acquired 35 Taco Bell restaurants across Northern Virginia and DC-Metro Maryland, significantly enhancing Southpaw's presence in the Mid-Atlantic region and expanding Southpaw's presence in the proven Taco Bell network. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed in a press release from the company.

Southpaw was founded in 2009 and owns and operates more than 135 QSR locations in markets across seven states. Its portfolio includes 70 high-volume Taco Bells in Kentucky and now the Mid-Atlantic. The company intends to begin opening restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic market as soon as 2022.

"Taco Bell is a world-class brand with a fiercely loyal customer base, and we are delighted to enter the dynamic, affluent Mid-Atlantic region," Judd Wishnow, co-founder of Southpaw, said in the release. "This is a high-quality portfolio of Taco Bells, which have performed well and are led by a highly capable and experienced management team. Importantly, we are eager to continue to grow our footprint in the region.

"At Southpaw, we take an employee-first approach. We have learned that by taking care of our people and building a sense of community, our people will then take care of us and our customers. It's a virtuous cycle which has served us extremely well since our founding. As we have done across all markets for the past 12 years, we will invest significant resources into the well-being of our people and our business in the Mid-Atlantic. We believe that by building a best-in-class culture, we will continue to attract the best talent in the industry — from senior leaders to the junior crew members in our stores."

Southpaw's portfolio is comprised of more than 135 total Taco Bell and Dunkin' restaurants across seven states, and it employs approximately 3,500 employees.