Paul Davis
Biography
Paul brings extensive experience in the restaurant industry, combining his professional expertise with a personal passion for cooking. He has staged with award-winnings chefs across the South, including Adam Evans (Automatic Seafood), Cheetie Kumar (Ajja), Jeremiah Langhorne (The Dabney), and Rob McDaniel (Helen). At Hargett Hunter, he applies his hands-on experience to guide strategic investments in restaurant brands.
Before joining Hargett Hunter, Paul worked as an Investment Banking Associate at Bank of America on the New York Consumer & Retail team, working with restaurants, franchisees, CPG, and apparel companies. His deal experience includes facilitating acquisitions of large U.S. restaurant franchisees, IPOs, and private capital raises for prominent restaurant chains, including True Food Kitchen. Prior to that, Paul held roles at NCR Corporation, where he managed the company’s free cash flow, and The Coca Cola Company, where he focused on financial analytics for supplier negotiations.
Paul holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where he was Co-President of the Finance Club and a two-time Iron Chef Champion, and a dual degree in Industrial Engineering and Finance from Georgia Tech. Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife, Ellie, and dog, George. He works in restaurant kitchens as often as possible, cooks for increasingly large dinner parties, and loves fly fishing and snow skiing. His passion for the restaurant industry and financial expertise uniquely position him within the private equity space, where he is dedicated to helping restaurant businesses grow.