Savory Fund's Sale of Mo' Bettahs Named Food & Beverage Deal of the Year by Mergers & Acquisitions
May 12, 2025
CHICAGO – MAY 12, 2025 – Savory Fund and Harrington Park Advisors are proud to announce that the acquisition of Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food by Blue Marlin Partners and Trive Capital has been named the 2025 Food & Beverage Deal of the Year by Mergers & Acquisitions.
The Mo’ Bettahs deal was distinguished not by headline value, but by its premium growth valuation — executed in a challenging environment for restaurant M&A. At the time of the transaction, Mo’ Bettahs operated 56 company-owned locations across seven states. Today, the brand has grown to 63 locations and continues to expand with a robust development pipeline that includes a total of 15 stores projected to open in 2025.
Savory retained a significant minority stake in the transaction, and Blue Marlin Partners and Trive Capital have been the perfect partners to continue Mo’ Bettahs’ astounding growth trajectory.
“This recognition is a testament to the vision, heart, and grit of the Mo’ Bettahs founders and team,” said Andrew K. Smith, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Savory Fund, which acquired Mo’ Bettahs when it had just six locations. “From our first meeting with Kimo and Kalani Mack to today, we’ve believed in the authenticity, scalability, and cultural resonance of the concept. We are grateful to our partners at Harrington Park Advisors for their thoughtful, strategic guidance — and to Blue Marlin and Trive for leading the next chapter of growth.”
“We’re honored by this recognition from Mergers & Acquisitions and grateful to Savory Fund and Mo’ Bettahs founders, Kimo and Kalani Mack, for trusting us with such an important mandate,” said Ashish Seth, Founder and Managing Director at Harrington Park Advisors.
“In a relatively muted environment for restaurant M&A, this deal stood out — not just for the premium valuation achieved, but also for its context. While many of the year’s headline transactions involved large, franchised platforms favored by private equity, Mo’ Bettahs was a mid-cap, company-operated brand. This successful transaction and recognition from Mergers & Acquisitions reflects the brand’s authenticity, strong unit economics, broad consumer appeal, and the stewardship of its founders and Savory.”
Mo’ Bettahs joins a select group of transactions recognized in the 2025 Middle Market Deals of the Year by Mergers & Acquisitions. The full list is available here: https://www.themiddlemarket.com/news-analysis/mergers-acquisitions-chooses-13-transactions-as-2025-middle-market-deals-of-the-year
ABOUT SAVORY FUND
Savory is an innovative private equity firm that combines over $750 million in assets under management with a growth playbook and expertise that has been developed over 15 years of operating in the restaurant industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands, to deliver financial capital, industry expertise, growth and revenue opportunities, profitability enhancements and new location development. The Savory team contributes directly to all aspects of growth and replication by using a proven playbook and methodology. Founder involvement in the expansion of a brand is a central theme of the Savory approach as founders carry the tribal knowledge around the uniqueness that has energized early success and is essential to future growth. Savory is currently invested in the following brands: Swig, R&R BBQ, PINCHO, Via 313 Pizzeria, Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, 86 Repairs, Saigon Hustle, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher, Houston TX Hot Chicken, and South Block. For more information, visit SavoryFund.com.
ABOUT MO' BETTAHS HAWAIIAN STYLE FOOD
Mo’ Bettahs was founded in Bountiful, Utah in 2008 by Kimo and Kalani Mack with a goal of providing guests with an authentic Hawaiian island barbeque experience, just like they enjoyed while growing up in O’ahu, Hawai’i. Mo’ Bettahs serves the plate lunch with an authentic Hawaiian experience, with items like freshly Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Steak, Kalua Pig, Deep-Fried Katsu Chicken, homemade macaroni salad and steamed rice. Since partnering with Savory Restaurant Fund, Mo’ Bettahs has grown to 65 locations in Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Nevada. Mo’ Bettahs has plans to spread the aloha spirit to more communities through continued expansion in the coming months and years. Mo’ Bettahs offers dine-in, takeout and catering. For more information, visit Mobettahs.com.
ABOUT HARRINGTON PARK ADVISORS
Harrington Park Advisors is a boutique investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising solutions for restaurants and multi-unit services businesses. With over 30 years of experience and guided by values of Service, Excellence, and Integrity, Harrington Park Advisors has delivered best-in-class results for founder-led and sponsor-owned companies. For more information, visit HarringtonParkAdvisors.com.
