Uno Restaurants has agreed to sell its Uno Foods division to Great Kitchens Food Company, a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners. Uno Foods makes and sells the frozen version of its iconic Pizzeria Uno deep dish pizza and calzones across various channels, including supermarkets, club stores, and other outlets. Based in the Chicago area, Great Kitchens is a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of take-and-bake pizzas and flatbreads sold nationally to high-quality grocery stores, club stores, and mass retailers.
The Uno Foods division started in 1988 in the basement of an Uno Pizzeria and Grill restaurant. Today, it produces and sells its restaurant-quality products from its manufacturing facility located in Brockton, MA. The facility sells its frozen product to various food outlets. The sale is a part of Pizzeria Uno’s strategic pivot to focus on expanding its franchise business, specifically in partnering with hotel operators in converting their full-service restaurants into Pizzeria Uno locations.
“The sale of the Uno Foods division will allow Uno Restaurants to focus on its franchise footprint expansion growth strategy. We added five new franchise locations in 2022, with plans to add an additional 10-15 in 2023 and many more in the coming years. We are excited to bring Uno Restaurants’ premium pizzas to more communities in the future and are confident Great Kitchens Food Company is the right partner to enhance our strong brand awareness across the country.” stated CEO Erik Frederick.
Uno Restaurants is a portfolio company of Newport Global Advisors. In addition to owning the company, Newport Global Advisors also owns the real estate of the original downtown Chicago Uno and Due locations and is exploring various restoration options for the historic buildings.
“On behalf of the Newport team, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Brynwood team for their partnership in bringing this transaction to fruition. I would also like to congratulate the Uno team for successfully completing the first major step in Uno’s strategic growth plan.” said Tim Janszen, CEO of Newport Global Advisors.
Founded in 1943, Pizzeria Uno is an iconic brand and the birthplace of Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza. The Uno Foods division was established in 1988 to continue the success and rich heritage of the Pizzeria Uno brand. Uno Foods manufactures and distributes frozen and refrigerated branded pizzas, calzones, entrees, and appetizers across the grocery store, wholesale club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels. Uno Foods manufactures all products from its frozen foods facility in Brockton, MA.
Founded in 2005 and based in The Woodlands, TX, Newport Global Advisors is a privately held, SEC registered, investment firm with approximately $450 million of assets under management across multiple investment platforms. The firm focuses on investing in small to middle market companies across multiple industries where there is an opportunity for Newport to be involved in financial and operational improvements. For more information, please visit http://newportglobaladvisors.com.
Headquartered in Romeoville, IL, Great Kitchens was formed in December 2020 to acquire ARYZTA North America’s take-and-bake pizza business. Great Kitchens is a leading U.S. based manufacturer of take-and-bake pizzas and flatbreads sold nationally to high-quality grocery, club and mass retailers, as well as into foodservice outlets. Great Kitchens operates a 165,000 square foot crust facility in Chicago Heights, IL and a 155,000 square foot toppings facility in Romeoville, IL, employing approximately 800 people across the two facilities. For more information on Great Kitchens, please visit www.gkitchens.com.
Founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, Brynwood Partners is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies. The firm targets non-core brands and companies operating exclusively in the consumer sector. Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $1 billion of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, fund-of-funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth family investment offices and financial institutions. For more information on Brynwood Partners, please visit www.brynwoodpartners.com.
