Stellaris Group

What Stellaris Group does

Stellaris Group is a privately held family office founded in 2008 by Ahmad Moalej that operates as a multi-unit QSR franchisee and complementary real estate investor. Its core operating business consists of 69 Carl's Jr. quick-service restaurant units distributed across California, Utah, and Idaho (including the Salt Lake City, Park City, Deer Valley, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello markets), with historical franchise experience in Del Taco, Denny's, and Papa John's now de-emphasized. The company also invests in NNN commercial properties and residential multi-family assets near college campuses in the same Western US geographies where it operates restaurants, using two wholly owned operating subsidiaries — ARM Management Inc. (Southern California) and SnowStarLP (Utah and Idaho).

The operational backbone is the proprietary Stellar Quality Method, an internal framework structured around three pillars: Facilities (high-quality materials, construction, and maintenance), Service (training and leadership development), and Management (internal culture and financial systems). Technology deployment has historically been modest — a fleet-wide POS upgrade across 59 Carl's Jr. locations was completed in 2021 — and there is no disclosed AI/ML capability, proprietary platform product, or external software offering. The franchise relationship with Carl's Jr. (owned by Roark Capital Group) provides parent-level digital, data, and procurement synergies but also constitutes a single-brand dependency for essentially all restaurant revenue.

Stellaris monetizes through restaurant sales to end consumers across its 69 units and through rental income from its real estate portfolio. Go-to-market is twofold: operating owned restaurant storefronts as a direct-to-consumer channel, and proactively engaging single-unit, multi-unit, and brand-level sellers for franchise transition opportunities. Customer concentration is effectively total at the brand-partner level, while end-consumer demand is highly fragmented at the unit level. With over $80M in disclosed annual sales at 59 units, 1,200+ employees, and a recognition track record including the 2020 Carl Karcher Founder's Award and the 2017 Papa John's West Coast Small Franchisee of the Year, the company is a regionally concentrated, single-brand QSR operator with a parallel real estate vertical rather than a diversified multi-concept franchise platform.

Name

Stellaris Group

Legal name

Stellaris Group

Website

https://stellarisgrp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Stellaris Group is a privately held family office that operates 69 Carl's Jr. quick-service restaurant franchises across California, Utah, and Idaho, alongside NNN commercial and residential real estate investments in the same Western US markets, with over $80M in disclosed annual restaurant sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pacific Palisades

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. QSR Restaurant Franchise Operations: Owns and operates 69 nationally branded restaurant franchises (Carl's Jr.) throughout the Western United States. Revenue generated from restaurant sales to end consumers.
2. Real Estate Investments: Invests in NNN commercial properties and residential multi-family homes in markets where restaurants are operated. Properties located in California (West Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Bernardino, Yucca Valley), Utah (Salt Lake City, Park City, Deer Valley), and Idaho (Idaho Falls, Pocatello). Revenue from rental income.
3. New Restaurant Development: Builds new QSR restaurants including Denny's, Papa John's, and Carl's Jr. units. Part of strategic growth through new construction alongside acquisitions and remodels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stellaris Group primarily operates 69 Carl's Jr. quick service restaurant franchise units across California, Utah, and Idaho, generating over $80 million in annual sales. The company also invests in and manages NNN commercial properties and residential multi-family rentals in markets where its restaurants operate. Operations are governed by the proprietary Stellar Quality Method covering Facilities, Service, and Management, and the firm offers franchise transition services to other operators and brands.

Product overview

Stellaris Group is a Los Angeles-based family office that operates as a franchisee and real estate investment company. The core business consists of two integrated offerings: (1) QSR Restaurant Franchise Operations — currently owning and operating 69 Carl's Jr. units across California, Utah, and Idaho, with historical investments in Denny's, Papa Johns, and Del Taco; and (2) Real Estate Investment & Management — acquiring and managing NNN commercial properties and residential rentals throughout the Western United States. These operations are unified under the company's 'Stellar Quality Method,' an operational framework emphasizing high-quality facilities, service, and management. The company was founded in 2008 by Ahmad Moalej and has grown from 23 to 69 units in five years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QSR Restaurant Franchise Operations (Carl's Jr.) Owns and operates 69 Carl's Jr. quick service restaurant franchise units across California, Utah, and Idaho, providing high-quality facilities, service, and management as brand ambassadors for the Carl's Jr. brand through the Stellar Quality Method.
• Real Estate Investment & Management Invests in and manages NNN commercial properties and residential single-family and multi-family homes near college campuses in the Western United States (California, Utah, Idaho), including West Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Bernardino, Yucca Valley, Salt Lake City, Park City, Deer Valley, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello.
• Franchise Transition Services Provides franchise acquisition and transition services for single-unit owners, multi-unit owners, and QSR brands seeking to transition stores, applying Stellaris Group's multi-unit operating expertise and Stellar Quality Method to acquired locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grown from 23 to 59 units in 5 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carl's Jr. / Roark Capital GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarl's Jr. is Stellaris Group's primary brand partner with 69 operating units. Parent company Roark Capital Group provides scale with digital & tech investments, data mining and analytical capabilities, and cost synergies. Carl's Jr. has West Coast orientation with large burger mix and distinctive brand attributes including charbroiled burgers, premium Thickburger platform, and strong Hispanic market presence. Stellaris Group is positioned as a brand ambassador moving the brand partner forward.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wendy's Company: National QSR franchisor with significant franchisee-operated units. Relevant as a comparable brand/franchisor ecosystem whose franchisees (e.g., GPS Hospitality) operate at similar scale and under similar franchise agreement economics to Stellaris.
• CKE Restaurants Holdings: Franchisor parent of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, owned by Roark Capital Group. Comparable as the counterparty in Stellaris's franchise agreements and the entity setting brand strategy, technology mandates, and remodels that drive Stellaris's capex cycle.

Others

• Roark Capital Group: Private equity firm focused on franchise and multi-unit businesses; owner of CKE Restaurants (Carl's Jr./Hardee's), Inspire Brands, and other restaurant platforms. Relevant as the ultimate brand owner whose strategic decisions cascade to Stellaris.

Direct peers

• Carrols Restaurant Group: Largest Burger King franchisee in the United States with hundreds of locations across multiple states. A direct analog as a publicly-traded multi-unit franchise operator with similar unit economics exposure to a single major brand.
• NPC International (Flynn-acquired): Formerly the largest Pizza Hut franchisee (acquired by Flynn Restaurant Group following a 2020 restructuring). Historically relevant as a scaled single-brand franchisee whose experience illustrates both the scale opportunity and the execution/fiscal risks of concentrated franchise models.
• Boddie-Noell Enterprises: Largest Hardee's franchisee and a long-standing multi-unit QSR operator. Especially relevant because Hardee's is a sister brand to Carl's Jr. under CKE Restaurants, exposing it to similar franchisor dynamics as Stellaris.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: Largest multi-brand restaurant franchisee in the US, operating Taco Bell, Wendy's, Panera Bread, Applebee's, and Pizza Hut locations. Directly comparable as a large-scale multi-unit franchise operator with proven M&A and integration capability, similar to Stellaris's role at Carl's Jr.
• GPS Hospitality: Largest Wendy's franchisee in the US and a multi-brand franchise operator. Comparable as a private-equity-backed multi-unit franchisee pursuing disciplined unit growth and operational scaling.
• Yadav Enterprises: One of the largest Jack in the Box franchisees. Similar profile as a privately held, multi-unit Western US QSR franchisee focused on a single brand's expansion in defined geographic territories.
• Summit Restaurant Group: Multi-unit franchise operator of IHOP, Applebee's, and other casual/QSR brands across the Western US. Comparable as a Western US-focused multi-brand franchisee pursuing growth via acquisition and development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stellarisgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/stellarisgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Stellaris Group