What Founders Table Restaurant Group does

Founders Table Restaurant Group is a privately-held restaurant holding company incorporated as a Delaware LLC, headquartered in Rye Brook, New York, that creates, acquires, and operates founder-led fast-casual restaurant brands. Launched in January 2020, the company assembled a five-brand portfolio—Chopt (salads and bowls, 100+ locations, founded 2001), Dos Toros (Mission-style taqueria, founded 2009), Protein Bar & Kitchen (protein-focused fast-casual, founded 2009 in Chicago), FIELDTRIP (Caribbean-inspired rice bowls founded in 2019 by James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson), and Sweet Chick (chicken and waffles, founded 2013, backed by cultural icon Nas)—each retaining its founding identity and original operator while leveraging a shared operating platform. The company employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people across its locations in major US metropolitan markets including New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The business generates revenue primarily through direct restaurant food and beverage sales across its portfolio brands, supplemented by franchise and licensing fees from Protein Bar & Kitchen's expansion. Distribution is delivered via company-owned physical storefronts, with select brands extending into asset-light growth through franchising and licensing. The underlying operating technology is described as a platform focused on digital and operational innovation shared across brands, though no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, or patents are disclosed. Customer segments are predominantly health-conscious and urban diners across major metropolitan areas, served through a horizontal multi-brand strategy spanning salads, Mexican cuisine, protein-focused, rice-bowl, and chicken-and-waffles dayparts.

The company has raised approximately $163 million across multiple funding rounds from 2017 through early 2026 and filed an SEC Form D exempt securities offering in May 2021, indicating active institutional capital sourcing. Leadership includes CEO Nick Marsh, co-founder Leo Kremer, and COO Tom Kelleher, with brand-level founder involvement preserved across the portfolio.

Name

Founders Table Restaurant Group

Legal name

Founders Table Restaurant Group, LLC

Website

https://founders-table.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Founders Table Restaurant Group is a privately-held restaurant holding company that acquires and operates founder-led fast-casual brands, including Chopt, Dos Toros, Protein Bar & Kitchen, FIELDTRIP, and Sweet Chick, serving urban diners across major US metropolitan markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Brand Restaurant Operations

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF)

Keywords

• Multi-brand restaurant operations
• Fast-casual dining
• Restaurant holding company
• Franchise restaurant concepts
• Quick-service restaurants

Headquarters

HQ city

Rye

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue generated from direct restaurant sales across portfolio brands including Chopt, Dos Toros, Protein Bar & Kitchen, FIELDTRIP, and Sweet Chick. The company operates multiple quick-service and fast-casual restaurant locations serving salads, bowls, burritos, rice bowls, chicken and waffles, and other menu items.
2. Franchising & Licensing: Protein Bar & Kitchen is expanding through licensing and franchising, representing a growth opportunity for the platform. This provides franchise fees and ongoing royalty revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Founders Table Restaurant Group is a multi-brand restaurant holding company that creates, acquires, and cultivates founder-led restaurant concepts, currently operating five distinct fast-casual brands: Chopt (salads, bowls, wraps), Dos Toros (Mission-style taqueria/burritos), Protein Bar & Kitchen (protein-focused fast-casual), FIELDTRIP (Caribbean-inspired rice bowls), and Sweet Chick (chicken and waffles). The company runs company-owned locations and selectively expands brands via franchising and licensing.

Product overview

Founders Table Restaurant Group is a restaurant holding company and operating platform that launched in January 2020 to create, acquire, and cultivate founder-led restaurant companies. The portfolio consists of five distinct fast-casual restaurant brands—Chopt (salads and bowls), Dos Toros (Mission-style taqueria), Protein Bar & Kitchen (protein-focused fast-casual), FIELDTRIP (rice bowl concept), and Sweet Chick (chicken and waffles)—that collectively leverage digital and operational innovation to drive growth. The company provides an operating platform that enables founders to maintain their brand authenticity and quality while scaling to larger size.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chopt: Salads, bowls, and wraps made with high-quality proteins and thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Founded in 2001 by Tony Shure and Colin McCabe. Over 100 locations in New York City.
• Dos Toros
• Protein Bar & Kitchen
• FIELDTRIP
• Sweet Chick

Products and services

• Chopt Fast-casual salad, bowl, and wrap chain with over 100 locations serving meals made with high-quality proteins, thoughtfully sourced ingredients, and dressings. Targets health-conscious urban diners.
• Dos Toros Mission-style taqueria serving burritos and Mexican cuisine made from scratch using fine ingredients and proteins. Operates across New York and Washington, D.C.
• Protein Bar & Kitchen Better-for-you, protein-focused fast-casual concept offering protein-packed shakes, high-protein salads, wraps, and bowls, customizable for many diets. Expanding through licensing and franchising.
• FIELDTRIP Made-to-order rice bowl concept inspired by Caribbean flavors, featuring culturally relevant ingredients and the motto 'Rice is Culture.'
• Sweet Chick Chicken and waffles fast-casual restaurant known for 100+ iterations of chicken and waffles, plus a full breakfast offering, salads, plant-based alternatives, a cocktail program, and chicken sandwiches. Operates across New York and Los Angeles.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sweetgreen: Public fast-casual salad and bowl chain with strong urban presence. Most directly comparable to Chopt on menu, customer demographic (health-conscious urban professionals), and geography (NYC, DC, Chicago, LA).
• CAVA Group: Public Mediterranean fast-casual concept with bowls as a core format. Comparable to Chopt and FIELDTRIP on customizable bowl architecture, ingredient-forward positioning, and growth-stage execution.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest fast-casual Mexican concept with burritos and bowls. Most directly comparable to Dos Toros on menu format, urban footprint, and counter-service operating model.
• Shake Shack: Premium fast-casual concept with burgers, chicken, and breakfast daypart. Comparable to Sweet Chick on premium positioning, urban real estate strategy, and cocktail/breakfast extensions.
• Dig (Dig Inn): Northeast-focused fast-casual salad and bowl concept. Comparable to Chopt on menu, ingredient sourcing ethos, and urban customer base, though smaller in scale.
• Just Salad: Fast-casual salad chain with reusable bowl sustainability program and urban footprint. Comparable to Chopt on menu, customer demographic, and growth-stage positioning.

Emerging players

• MOD Pizza: Fast-casual pizza concept with franchising/licensing growth model. Comparable to Founders Table's franchise-driven expansion strategy, particularly with Protein Bar & Kitchen, though in a different cuisine vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Inspire Brands (Roark Capital): Multi-brand restaurant platform (Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, Baskin-Robbins) controlled by Roark Capital. Directly comparable multi-brand rollup structure, though at vastly greater scale.
• Union Square Hospitality Group: Danny Meyer-founded multi-concept restaurant group with casual and fine-dining brands. Comparable as a founder-centric multi-brand NYC hospitality platform, though more focused on full-service dining.
• Yum Brands: Public multi-brand restaurant holding company (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Habit Burger). Comparable multi-brand holding structure and franchise-heavy model, though with global scale and QSR rather than fast-casual focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/founderstable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Founders Table Restaurant Group