Global Franchise Group, LLC, the strategic brand management company and franchisor of Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, Marble Slab Creamery, and MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery, announced today that it has acquired the Hot Dog on a Stick brand. California-based HDOS currently operates 78 corporate-owned stores and 14 franchise locations in the United States, as well as internationally in Brazil, Korea and the Philippines. GFG acquired the brand on August 21, 2014.
“GFG is thrilled to add the iconic Hot Dog on a Stick concept to our portfolio of thriving brands,” said President and CEO of Global Franchise Group, Chris Dull. “GFG has a proven history of managing and growing quick-service restaurant brands and we see a bright future for HDOS. We believe HDOS’ business model is custom made for multi-unit franchise ownership, which coupled with our franchising expertise, GFG’s business-savvy franchisees and our brand-building track record, we expect to see immediate traction.”
With the integration of HDOS, GFG will add a corporate store vertical to its business, in addition to manufacturing and franchising. The addition of this business will grow GFG from 110 employees to 715, and will make GFG a significant leaseholder in mall-based real estate. The company plans to build sales with the existing corporate locations, while expanding the global footprint of HDOS through franchising.
HDOS launched in California in 1946 on a beach in Santa Monica. In 1973, it opened its first mall location in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is still in operation. The brand is most known for its fresh, made-to-order hot dog on a stick product, hand-mashed lemonade, smiling customer service, and of course, its signature uniforms.
Global Franchise Group, LLC (www.globalfranchise.com) is a strategic brand management company with a mission of championing franchise brands and the people who build them. The company owns a portfolio of franchise brands that includes five primary quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise concepts: Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Marble Slab Creamery, MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery, and Pretzelmaker. The brands are managed by GFG Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Global Franchise Group, LLC. Global Franchise Group, LLC is a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, an independent investment firm, with approximately $7 billion of capital under management and substantial franchise management experience.
