King & Spalding lawyers represented an affiliate of client Roark Capital Group in its acquisition of Wingstop Restaurants Inc., a chain of chicken-wing eateries whose marketing materials say the company has sold more than 2 billion wings since its founding in 1994.
Roark, an Atlanta-based private equity firm that specializes in franchising, formed Wing Stop Holding Corp. to acquire the Richardson, Texas-based chain, which has 650 restaurants open or in development and posted more than $300 million in revenue in 2009. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A team of lawyers from several King & Spalding offices worked on the deal. The primary Atlanta partners were Raymond E. Baltz and William G. Roche on corporate matters, Les A. Oakes on environmental issues and Donald S. Kohla on tax matters.
Wingstop was represented by Countryman Law in Southborough, Mass. The acquirer's financial adviser was Cowen & Co.
Roark, which focuses on middle-market investments in companies that have revenues ranging from $20 million to $1 billion, also holds other restaurant brands in its portfolio, including Carvel, Cinnabon and Moe's Southwest Grill.
Earlier this year, King & Spalding represented Roark when it acquired a majority ownership interest in Marietta-based Peachtree Business Products.