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Full Course uses $20M fund to invest in two Atlanta foodservice companies — NaanStop and Fripper’s Meats + Goods

The brands are the first investments for the investment and development group

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

October 27, 2022

1 Min Read
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NaanStop and Fripper’s are both Atlanta-based brands.Richard T. Nowitz/The Image Bank/Getty Images Plus

Restaurant investment and development group Full Course has used a $20 million fund to invest in two growing companies, NaanStop and Fripper’s Meats Goods, the company announced Thursday. This is the first investment for the fund led by CEO Lauren Fernandez.

“Approximately two-thirds of all restaurants are a single location, and the owners don’t understand that scale is the key to financial success, nor do they understand how to get there,” Fernandez said in a release. “So much of our industry’s diversity is in these smaller brands. With our investment strategy, we can create opportunity for the people and brands that truly represent this country, give consumers more of the foods they want and provide generous returns for our investors.”

NaanStop and Fripper’s are both Atlanta-based brands. Full Course prioritizes brands with minority or female leadership, as it strives to create opportunities for the traditionally disempowered.

NaanStop is a three-unit fast-casual Indian concept with a product line.

Fripper’s is a specialty meat company. Owners Colin Miles and Brandon West offer a line of traditionally crafted artisanal meats.

Full Course also acts as a non-profit, educating the restaurateurs it funds. Full Course provides consulting and manages development, supporting original owners as they focus on running the day-to-day operations and leadership.

“Sharing the playbook for growth is simply not enough to level the playing field,” said Fernandez. “We have a deep respect for owners, we stand next to them in true partnership. To ensure they share in the benefit of that value creation, we do not take a majority share during the entire course of our investment.”

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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