BBQ Holdings Lands Its Largest Acquisition

BBQ Holdings—the parent company to brands like Famous Dave’s, Granite City Food and Brewery, Real Urban BBQ, Village Inn and Bakers Square—is making its biggest acquisition to date with the purchase of Barrio Queen, a Phoenix-based Mexican fine-dining brand.

The $28 million deal is set to close early next month and marks the third acquisition for the company over the past year.

“We are excited to welcome Barrio Queen into the BBQ Holdings family. It’s a beloved brand with an entrepreneurial team that has done a great job. The food offerings and environment are unlike any of our other brands. It will be a truly unique addition to our portfolio. We look forward to continuing their path of success,” says Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, in a press release.

Founded in 2011, Barrio Queen has seven operating restaurants in Arizona and has a lease signed for an eighth with a target opening date of December 2022.

BBQ Holdings, which added Village Inn and Bakers Square to its portfolio last summer and picked up Tahoe Joe’s last fall, has over 100 company-owned locations and 200 franchised locations.