NDA

What NDA does

NDA, Inc. is a privately-held professional services firm specializing exclusively in mergers and acquisitions advisory for the U.S. restaurant franchise sector. Founded in 1988 in Louisville, Kentucky by Nick Diachenko and Charlie Nash with the support of KFC Corporation (the firm was originally named Nash, Diachenko and Associates and rebranded to NDA, Inc. in 1994), the company has operated for nearly four decades as a boutique intermediary focused on facilitating buy-side and sell-side transactions, succession planning, business valuations, and adjacent capital advisory services (sale-leaseback, refinancing, capital raises, asset strategy consulting) for franchise owners. According to its marketing claims, NDA has facilitated transactions for restaurant companies collectively generating over $3 billion in revenue across 41 U.S. states, with a stated 100+ years of combined deal experience across its roughly five-person professional team.

The firm operates a relationship-driven, sales-led go-to-market model built on referrals from franchisees, private equity acquirers, and franchisor networks rather than traditional marketing channels. Its core client base consists of restaurant franchise owners and operators across brands including KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Denny's, Domino's, Arby's, Applebee's, and others. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements appear to be quote-based and tailored to each transaction. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or API offering disclosed; the business runs on the personal relationships, industry experience, and domain expertise of its senior professionals, several of whom previously held senior roles at KFC Corporation, Domino's Pizza, Walt Disney World, and Delta Airlines.

NDA, Inc. is a privately-held Kentucky corporation with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or external funding rounds. The leadership team comprises President & Director Nick Diachenko, Vice President & Director Derek Diachenko, Director John Pinar, Associate Mitch Rue, and Board Member George Tinsley (who also operates his own franchise portfolio through PenGeo, Inc. and Tinsley Family Concessions). Co-founder Charlie Nash is Chairman Emeritus. Operating from a single office at 4906 Bardstown Road, Suite 201 in Louisville, the firm serves clients exclusively in the United States.

Name

NDA

Legal name

NDA, Inc.

Website

https://ndainc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NDA, Inc. is a Louisville, Kentucky-based boutique M&A advisory firm founded in 1988 that exclusively serves the U.S. restaurant franchise sector, providing buy-side and sell-side advisory, valuations, succession planning, and financing-related services to franchise owners across brands such as KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Services: NDA, Inc. generates revenue by providing buy-side and sell-side advisory services for restaurant franchise mergers and acquisitions. The company guides clients through the entire M&A process including valuation, strategic planning, marketing, negotiation, and transaction closure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

NDA, Inc. is a U.S.-based franchise mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that helps restaurant franchise owners buy, sell, and transition restaurant franchise businesses. The firm delivers buy-side and sell-side advisory through consultation, fair market valuation, tailored marketing strategy, expert negotiation, and transaction closure, supported by additional services such as succession planning, sale-leaseback, capital raises, and refinancing. All engagements are concentrated exclusively within the restaurant franchise sector and are delivered through personalized, one-on-one advisory relationships.

Product overview

NDA, Inc. offers a unified advisory service portfolio for franchise mergers and acquisitions, consisting of three core offerings: Sell-Side Expertise (helping owners sell their restaurants), Buy-Side Mastery (assisting buyers with acquisitions), and Succession Planning (enabling leadership transitions). These core services are complemented by six additional advisory modules including Fair Market Valuations, Asset Strategy Consulting, Sale-Leaseback Expertise, Capital Raises, Refinancing Support, and Creative Financing Solutions. The company operates as a single-service consulting firm focused exclusively on the restaurant franchise sector, facilitating transactions for restaurant companies collectively generating over $3 billion in revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side Expertise Advisory service helping restaurant franchise owners maximize value, negotiate expert deals, and achieve smooth transitions when selling their franchise businesses.
• Buy-Side Mastery Advisory service helping investors and acquirers identify, evaluate, and secure restaurant franchise acquisition opportunities aligned with strategic growth objectives.
• Succession Planning Advisory service enabling restaurant franchise owners to pre-plan business transitions, including leadership succession, buy/sell agreements, fair market valuations, and continuity assurance.
• Fair Market Business Valuations Comprehensive data-driven analysis determining a franchise business's fair market value to inform selling, buying, or future planning decisions.
• Asset Strategy Consulting Expert consulting to optimize asset management and align assets with franchise business goals, including property value maximization and efficiency enhancement.
• Sale-Leaseback Expertise Advisory enabling restaurant franchise owners to sell owned locations and lease them back to access capital while maintaining operational continuity.
• Capital Raises Financing advisory connecting restaurant franchise owners with optimal loans and equity partnerships tailored to their capital requirements.
• Refinancing Support Franchise debt placement service leveraging NDA's lender network to deliver efficient, value-driven refinancing options for restaurant franchise owners.
• Creative Financing Solutions Innovative financing approaches and specialized financial structures bridging the gap between restaurant franchise vision and financial success.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KFC Corporationhistorical originatorOthersNDA was originally founded in 1988 with the support of KFC Corporation to revolutionize franchise acquisitions and divestitures. The founding partners Nick Diachenko and Charlie Nash launched the firm specifically to serve KFC franchisees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sunbelt Business Brokers: Largest U.S. business brokerage network with dedicated franchise practice; competes directly with NDA in restaurant franchise M&A intermediation with a substantially larger sales force and broader geographic coverage.
• VR Business Brokers / Mergers & Acquisitions: National business brokerage and M&A intermediary that handles franchise resale and transfer transactions, overlapping with NDA on restaurant franchise buy-side and sell-side mandates.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: U.S. business brokerage and M&A firm with an established franchise and restaurant practice, providing a comparable sell-side/buy-side intermediation model to NDA for small and mid-market franchise operators.
• Transworld Business Advisors: Global business brokerage, franchise consulting, and M&A advisory with explicit franchise resale and transfer services; a like-for-like competitor to NDA on restaurant franchise intermediation.
• Main Street M&A: Middle-market M&A advisory that handles lower-middle-market franchise and restaurant transactions; comparable in target deal size and buyer/seller matching role to NDA.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with an active restaurants and franchising M&A practice; competes with NDA on larger restaurant franchise platform deals where NDA's network can still originate mandates.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisor with a dedicated consumer and restaurant franchise practice, providing competitive pressure on NDA for larger multi-unit and platform franchise transactions.
• BDO USA M&A Advisory: Top-tier accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated restaurants and franchising M&A practice that competes for the same franchisee seller and PE buyer clients as NDA.
• Marcum LLP M&A Advisory: National accounting and advisory firm with a consumer/restaurant M&A practice and significant franchise valuation capabilities that overlap with NDA's valuation, succession, and sell-side services.

Emerging players

• Eanet & Feeley Franchise Services: Specialized franchise M&A and consulting firm that, like NDA, focuses on restaurant and franchise resale intermediation but operates at a smaller scale and narrower geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NDA-Inc-Experts-on-selling-restaurants-102530884522290
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nda-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NDA