HCI Hospitality

What HCI Hospitality does

HCI Hospitality was a privately-held, multi-brand restaurant franchisee operator headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas, founded in 2002. The company's core operations centered on 43 Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers quick-service restaurants distributed across the Midwest, supplemented by two award-winning local concepts — JC's BBQ & Grill in Junction City and Powercat Sports Grill in Manhattan — and a catering arm under HCI Catering. Revenue was generated primarily through in-restaurant food and beverage transactions under franchise/license agreements with Freddy's, plus independent operation of the local brands and catering services. Operating technology was limited to standard restaurant stack tooling, notably a 7shifts workforce management platform for scheduling, payroll, and compliance across the unit base.

Under the broader ownership of Dave Dreiling, additional entities (Booth Creek Wagyu, Cox BBQ, Meat Works Kansas, and Coco Bolos) operated alongside HCI but were not part of the core hospitality business. In March 2026, JRI Hospitality — itself the largest Freddy's franchisee — acquired HCI's restaurant operations, expanding JRI's Freddy's footprint from 88+ locations across 15 states to 130+ locations across 18 states. Following the transaction, HCI's CEO Cam Blakely moved to JRI as President of Freddy's Operations, the franchised restaurant brands were integrated under JRI leadership, and HCI ceased to operate as an independent entity. The remaining HCI-umbrella brands continue under Dave Dreiling outside the JRI transaction.

The business model was a regional franchise operator with multi-concept optionality: revenue per unit followed fast-casual QSR economics, with operational scale and Kansas-centric density the primary efficiency drivers. Customer concentration was inherently diversified given consumer foot traffic across 43+ locations, though brand mix was heavily weighted to the Freddy's franchise relationship.

Name

HCI Hospitality

Legal name

HCI Hospitality

Website

https://hcihospitality.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HCI Hospitality was a Manhattan, Kansas-based multi-brand restaurant franchisee that operated 43 Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers locations across the Midwest, alongside local concepts JC's BBQ & Grill and Powercat Sports Grill and a catering arm, serving consumers in Kansas and surrounding states until its 2026 acquisition by JRI Hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Operations

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Special Food Services (7223), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

Keywords

• Fast-casual restaurants
• Restaurant franchise operator
• Sports bar dining
• BBQ restaurant
• Catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: HCI Hospitality generated revenue through operating quick-service and casual dining restaurants, selling food and beverages to consumers at their Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, JC's BBQ & Grill, and Powercat Sports Grill locations.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

HCI Hospitality operated a portfolio of fast-casual and full-service restaurants in the Midwest and Kansas, anchored by 43 Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchise locations and supplemented by local concepts JC's BBQ & Grill (a sports bar and grill in Junction City) and Powercat Sports Grill (Manhattan's game-day restaurant). The company also offered catering services through HCI Catering for events and gatherings.

Product overview

HCI Hospitality was a restaurant hospitality company operating a portfolio of fast-casual and full-service restaurant brands. Its core operations included Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (a fast-casual chain), JC's BBQ & Grill (a sports bar and grill), and Powercat Sports Grill (a game-day restaurant). The company also offered catering services through HCI Catering. As of 2026, HCI was acquired by JRI Hospitality, with its Freddy's operations now integrated under JRI's leadership. Remaining entities including Booth Creek Wagyu, Cox BBQ, Meat Works Kansas, and Coco Bolos continue under owner Dave Dreiling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HCI Catering: Catering services operated under HCI Hospitality
• Booth Creek Wagyu

Products and services

• Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Fast-casual hamburger restaurant brand operated by HCI as a franchisee, known for steakburgers, frozen custard, and quality hospitality. HCI operated 43 Freddy's locations across the Midwest before the company's acquisition by JRI Hospitality.
• JC's BBQ & Grill Full-service sports bar and grill located off I-70 in Junction City, Kansas, serving local BBQ favorites, burgers, and sandwiches to local communities.
• Powercat Sports Grill Manhattan's premier game-day restaurant, serving fan-favorite foods in a fast-paced environment for sports fans.
• HCI Catering Catering service offered by HCI Hospitality for events and gatherings.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 7shiftscoreTechnology or Integration · 5 March 20267shifts, a restaurant scheduling and payroll platform, partnered with HCI Hospitality to provide workforce management solutions including scheduling, payroll processing, and compliance tools for HCI's restaurant operations across their Freddy's, JC's BBQ & Grill, and Powercat Sports Grill locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomin' Brands: Bloomin' Brands is a multi-concept restaurant holding company (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's). It is a broad incumbent comparable to HCI's full-service concepts (JC's BBQ, Powercat Sports Grill) and a useful benchmark for casual-dining unit economics.
• Restaurant Brands International: Restaurant Brands International owns Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs, operating a global multi-brand QSR/fast-casual franchise platform. It is a broad incumbent comparable to the broader category in which HCI operates and a relevant benchmark for franchise-driven unit economics and brand portfolio strategy.
• Wendy's Company: Wendy's is a major U.S. burger QSR franchisor with a large network of franchisees operating multi-unit territories. As a broader incumbent in the burger/QSR space, Wendy's is comparable to the broader category in which HCI's Freddy's units compete, though it operates at much greater scale and as a franchisor rather than a franchisee.
• Inspire Brands: Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant holding company (Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Jimmy John's, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins). It is a broad incumbent that competes with HCI's restaurant concepts for guest occasions and is comparable as a portfolio operator of differentiated restaurant brands.

Direct peers

• Yadav Enterprises: Yadav Enterprises is a multi-brand restaurant franchisee operator with significant Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers locations alongside other QSR brands. It is directly comparable to HCI in operating a Freddy's-heavy multi-unit franchise portfolio across multiple U.S. states.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: Flynn Restaurant Group is the largest franchisee operator in the U.S., running thousands of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Arby's, and Panera units. It is comparable to HCI as a scaled multi-brand restaurant franchisee, though Flynn operates primarily QSR rather than fast-casual concepts.
• JRI Hospitality: JRI Hospitality is the largest franchisee of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and acquired HCI in March 2026, integrating HCI's 43 Freddy's locations, JC's BBQ & Grill, and Powercat Sports Grill into its portfolio. JRI is the most direct operational and strategic peer given its near-identical brand mix, multi-unit franchise model, and Kansas roots.
• Fourteen Foods: Fourteen Foods is one of the largest Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchisees, operating a multi-state portfolio of Freddy's units. It is directly comparable to HCI in business model (multi-unit fast-casual franchisee of the same brand) and scale, making it a benchmark for HCI's unit economics and development pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hcihospitality
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hci-hospitality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 HCI Hospitality