In January LFR signed a franchising deal with catering giant Sodexho, sparking talk that the 36-branch restaurant chain would be swallowed by a private equity firm such as ECI or Blackstone.
In February came chatter that LFR was going to snap up its troubled Alternative Investment Market (AIM)-listed rival FishWorks restaurants.
All the speculation was finally laid to rest Aug. 8, when stalwart brewery and pub owner Greene King announced it had purchased LFR for £68 million (€100 million/$134.7 million).
LFR is an independently managed spin off of Scotland-based Loch Fyne Oysters, and was previously owned by private investment firm Hutton Collins.
“We’ve
