Industry Restaurants Website backyardburgers.com Founder Latti M Michael | Parent BBAC Number of locations 86 Type Subsidiary | |
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Area served Southern and Midwestern United States Products Fast Food (including hamburgers, chicken products, french fries, milkshakes, salads, hot dogs, chili products, and baked potatoes) Headquarters Nashville, Tennessee, United States Founded 1987, Cleveland, Mississippi, United States Profiles | ||
Back Yard Burgers, Inc., is an American regional franchise chain of quick serve restaurants. Its headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee. As of November 2014, there were 65 locations in the Southern and Midwestern United States, chiefly in Tennessee and Mississippi. In August 2008, there had been 171 locations.
Although it is the most common commercial breed in the country, the franchise's marketing tries to distinguish itself from other hamburger chains by the use of 100% Black Angus Beef. Back Yard Burgers also offers salads, baked potatoes, and other side items as optional replacements for fries in its combo meals, and also offers a vegetarian garden burger.
History
The first Back Yard Burgers restaurant opened in Cleveland, Mississippi, in 1987. Originally, the chain consisted of only drive-through restaurants without any dine-in facilities, but most locations have since added dine-in facilities. In recent years, the company has emphasized the quality of Black Angus Beef.
In 2002, Back Yard Burgers and Yum! Brands, Inc., temporarily entered into a development agreement whereby Yum! had an option to co-brand Back Yard Burgers' trademarks with its other restaurants' trademarks, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC. In 2004, however, after Yum! chose not to exercise its option, the two companies abandoned this plan as Yum! began revitalization of the A&W brand of hamburgers and root beer.
In August 2007 the then publicly traded company was purchased for US$38 million by a group of investors led by C. Stephen Lynn, the former Chairman of Shoney's who also previously served as Sonic's Chief Executive Officer, and Reid M. Zeising of Cherokee Advisors. A significant aspect of the purchase was relocation of the company's corporate headquarters from Memphis to Nashville.
In February 2009, Reid M. Zeising of Cherokee Advisors resigned as Executive Chairman of the Board.
In the summer of 2012, events at the company pointed to marked internal discord. The CEO, James Boyd, was accused of physical assault by Carl Diaz during a spring 2012 senior staff meeting. Diaz was then immediately fired by the company. The actual lawsuit may be found here. In September 2012, another employee, Andy Abbajay the company's COO, also filed suit against the company, alleging he too was mistreated after expressing concern about Diaz's dismissal.
In October 2012 the company, headed by James Boyd as CEO, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. On the same day, Back Yard Burgers declared the closure of multiple company owned stores. Cherokee Advisors owned the "BBAC Merger Sub" used as the acquisition vehicle in the merger. Cherokee's principal investors were reported to be Reid M. Zeising, Pharos Capital Group, LLC and C. Stephen Lynn The bankruptcy filings for Back Yard Burgers listed debt of as much as $50 Million with assets of only as much as $10 Million.
In January 2013, just four months after the bankruptcy filing, Backyard Burger indicated it had received financing from its new owners, Pharos Capital, and was ready to emerge from bankruptcy, albeit with a new CEO. Neither Reid M. Zeising nor C. Stephen Lynn were mentioned as investors responsible for financing the emergence of Backyard Burgers from bankruptcy. Backyard Burgers appointed a new CEO, David McDougal. Steve Neuroth, CFO of Backyard Burgers and partner of Cherokee Advisors, has moved on to become CFO of Shoney's according to the most recent franchise kit of that organization.