Intentional Hospitality

Capital. Capability. Partnership. Growth.

How we invest, how we act, and how we do everything. We think and operate like a restaurant company, not an investor that dabbles in restaurants.

The FirmRecognize potential. Cultivate growth.

PartnersBrands we've believed in, backed, and helped build

TeamRestaurant people who invest

In their words

“The Hargett Hunter team is known for their emphasis on maintaining quality of product and place, and their willingness to lean into Won’t Stop Hospitality’s norm-busting organizational values is an anomaly in the equity-infused restaurant world.”

Martha Hoover · Founder, Café Patachou & Won’t Stop Hospitality

Do what you say

Keep the Golden Rule golden

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Stay open and curious

Cynicism is toxic and does not lead to our desired outcomes.

Prove yourself every day

Harness competitive spirit into healthy growth and improvement, daily.

Operate with Intentional Hospitality

Don't forgo opportunities to spark joy and deliver happiness to others.

In the news

The Firm

Recognize potential. Cultivate growth.

Capital is a commodity Expertise is essential Relationships are paramount

We think and operate like a restaurant company, not an investor that dabbles in restaurants. Since 2015, we have deployed hundreds of millions of dollars across dozens of brands, guided by countless years of collective food and beverage experience and a conviction that operators, not spreadsheets, build lasting value. Above all, we are a partner who has sat on your side of the pass.

Five ways we earn the seat

A Focused Approach

When we look for opportunity across the domestic hospitality landscape, we find it in small and mid-size restaurant companies with strong unit-level economics: businesses that can deliver exceptional long-term, risk-adjusted returns. This is the sweet spot where our expertise intersects with opportunity.

Investment criteria

Brands

Differentiated, authentic, and approachable brands that lead in their respective categories.

Size

Minimum of $10M+ in annual revenue and $2.0+ million in store-level EBITDA, underpinned by exceptional unit-level economics and cash-on-cash returns.

Unit count

Proven usually means 5+ units, all or predominantly company-owned, with a repeatable model ready to grow.

Service format

Every service format welcome, with a sweet spot in fast casual, traditional full service, and polished casual.

Food category

Barbecue to bistro, taqueria to steakhouse: crave-worthy food that keeps guests coming back, in every category.

Investment structure

$5–$25 million initial check with follow-on capacity up to $50 million: majority control, or an economic minority carrying meaningful control rights.

The footprint

Coast to coast

Where our partners have operated: neighborhood restaurants and growth concepts across the country, from Southern California to the Carolina coast.

26 states + DCAlabama · Arizona · California · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Illinois · Indiana · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maryland · Mississippi · Nevada · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia · Washington · Washington, DC · West Virginia

Four values, four pillars

Do what you say

Keep the Golden Rule golden

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Stay open and curious

Cynicism is toxic and does not lead to our desired outcomes.

Prove yourself every day

Harness competitive spirit into healthy growth and improvement, daily.

Operate with Intentional Hospitality

Don't forgo opportunities to spark joy and deliver happiness to others.

A storied history

A tavern so essential, a capital was built beside it

In the 1780s, a Revolutionary War General named Frederick Hargett (1742-1810) had the vision to see great potential in the fledgling state of North Carolina. As a state legislator, Hargett invested his time and talents into building a new state capital, and led the procurement of land that would become America's first public university.

Wake County's Isaac Hunter (1745-1823) earned his place in that same history through Hunter's Tavern, a favorite stop of North Carolina's traveling legislators: its hospitality so renowned that in 1788 they resolved to locate the state's permanent capital within proximity of its doors. Its signature pour was the Cherry Bounce, a spirited cherry cordial that was famously George Washington's favorite drink.

The two men's paths converged in 1788, when Hargett was among the commissioners who gathered at Hunter's Tavern to choose the site of the new capital. Both men lived to serve others, and both believed that anything could be accomplished through hard work. At Hargett Hunter, home of Intentional Hospitality, we bring both instincts to every partnership: the builder's vision and the host's welcome.

1788Hunter's Tavern draws the capital

2015Hargett Hunter is founded

The Partners

Brands we've believed in, backed, and helped build

Start Small. Build Foundation. Scale Fast. Unlock Results.

Elevated Mediterranean small platesInvested 2023

Multi-Brand Platform · IndianapolisInvested 2024

Just Feel Good FoodInvested 2016

Coastal kitchen & barInvested 2020

Multi-Brand PlatformInvested 2025

Udon & tempuraInvested 2019 · Exited 2024

Student Union for AdultsWon't Stop Hospitality · Invested 2024

Crawfish, Po'Boys & MoreInvested 2019

Baja coastal grillLive.Eat.Surf · Invested 2020

Neighborhood tavern with southern flairBig Table Restaurants · Invested 2025

Waterviews Baja MexLive.Eat.Surf · Invested 2020

Wine & steak barBig Table Restaurants · Invested 2025

Bistro & champagne barWon't Stop Hospitality · Invested 2024

Backyard brewery & cookoutCollaboration

Creative salad companyPre Hargett Hunter

Healthy American kitchenInvested 2016 · Exited 2022

Açaí & superfoodsCollaboration

Artisanal pizzeriaWon't Stop Hospitality · Invested 2024

Handmade pie shopCollaboration

Austin Tex-Mex since 1977Investment

Island House · Cantina · Beach ClubCollaboration

Craft vodka cocktailsInvested 2024

Twisted farm foodPre Hargett Hunter

Food Well BuiltInvested 2018 · Exited 2024

Famous chicken & biscuitsPre Hargett Hunter

Kids café & cookingCollaboration

Sports bistreauxCollaboration · Franchisee

American bistroCollaboration

Nashville hot chickenCollaboration · Advisory

Nashville barbecueCollaboration

Japanese kaiten sushiPre Hargett Hunter · Franchisee

Sustainability reporting · RaleighInvested 2022

Rehoboth Beach, DelawareLa Vida Hospitality

Energy analytics · DurhamPre Hargett Hunter

Custom consumer surveysPre Hargett Hunter

The Home ofIntentional Hospitality

Realized · The proof

Marugame Udon. Scaling the World's Largest Udon Brand

When Toridoll Holdings sought a partner in the United States, they didn't need capital. They needed capability.

Marugame Udon was already the world's largest udon brand: handcrafted Sanuki-style udon, an open theater kitchen, a guest experience engineered to translate across markets. What it needed was a partner who knew how to grow a restaurant business on American soil without diluting the thing that made guests come back.

The concept already worked. The job was building the operating foundation to scale it: the unit-level discipline, the real estate playbook, and the operating cadence to support each new opening rather than outrun it. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, three restaurants became sixteen across four major markets in less than five years.

By the time the investment was realized in May 2024, the value had been created where it counts: in the operations, not on paper.

Marugame Udon

Built something worth protecting? Let's talk

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The People

Restaurant people who invest

Meet the team

Decades of investing in, operating, and scaling leading food and beverage brands

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Jeff BrockFounder & Managing Partner

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Brian FauverPartner

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George RichardsonPrincipal

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Jakob WeinigAnalyst

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Tiffany BallingCommunications Manager

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Landon LagesenAI Analyst

HOST. Execution, not just capital

Behind the core team sits the Hargett Operating Services Toolkit: a dedicated bench of operating partners and preferred providers, deployed into portfolio brands as each stage of growth demands.

Accounting

Financial reporting, controls, and processes that create clarity and accountability

Beverage

Beverage programs designed to strengthen the guest experience and improve profitability

Concept development

Transforming ideas into distinctive, scalable, and commercially viable hospitality concepts

Construction management

Managing restaurant buildouts from planning and budgeting through opening day

Culinary

Developing compelling menus, kitchen systems, and consistent food execution

Data analytics

Turning operational and customer data into clear, actionable business insights

Design & architecture

Creating functional, memorable spaces that bring each brand to life

FP&A

Forecasting performance, evaluating results, and supporting informed operating decisions

Franchising

Building the systems, structure, and partnerships required for successful franchise growth

Human resources

Supporting people, policies, benefits, and workplace practices across the organization

Marketing

Building brand awareness, guest engagement, and demand across every relevant channel

Operations

Improving restaurant systems, execution, consistency, and overall unit-level performance

Public relations

Shaping brand narratives and strengthening relationships with media and key audiences

Real estate procurement

Identifying, evaluating, and securing locations that support long-term brand growth

Real estate strategy

Developing market plans and site strategies for disciplined portfolio expansion

Strategic finance

Aligning capital, financial strategy, and business decisions with long-term growth

Supply chain & procurement

Securing reliable products, services, and pricing across the restaurant system

Talent recruitment

Connecting hospitality businesses with leaders who can build teams and drive growth

Technology

Selecting and implementing tools that improve operations, insights, and guest experiences

Training & development

Equipping teams with the knowledge and skills to perform and advance

Advisory partners

Defining Hargett Hunter's robust ecosystem of talent in the hospitality industry would resemble a menu at a Cheesecake Factory - not short or easy to execute. The following represents just a smattering of leaders, operators, executives, and investors that either currently are engaged, or have played various roles at Hargett Hunter or with our portfolio companies in the past.

Chris Artinian

W. Craig Barber

Bea Bartolome

Ben Blankenship

Mark Brezinski

Joan Dunlap

David Gonzalez

Jason Gray

Mark Gray

Matt Hood

Sam Kaufman

Craig Miller