Fat Brands Sets April 3 Bid Deadline as 120+ Buyers Circle 18 Restaurant Chains

The Fat Brands bankruptcy sale is no longer theoretical. A court-ordered process is now underway, a bid deadline is on the calendar, and more than 120 potential buyers have been contacted to evaluate the company's portfolio of 18 restaurant chains and 2,300-plus locations. The clock is moving fast.

For franchisees inside the Fat Brands system, the next six weeks may be the most consequential period since the Chapter 11 filing in January. Decisions made between now and the May 4 closing deadline will determine who owns their brand, what obligations transfer with it, and whether the concept they invested in has a viable future.

The Timeline Every Operator Needs to Know

The court has established a tight sale schedule:

April 3: Deadline for non-binding indications of interest and stalking horse bids

April 24: Qualified bids due

April 28: Auction date

May 4: Closing deadline

That is five weeks from bid to close. In bankruptcy terms, this is an aggressive pace. It signals that the court and creditors want a clean resolution, not a prolonged process that drains the estate's value through operational uncertainty and professional fees.

The marketing effort has been broad. Advisors contacted more than 120 potential buyers as part of the formal process. That number does not guarantee strong bids; it reflects the universe of parties who received the opportunity package. How many of those 120 will advance to qualified bids by April 24 is the number that actually matters.

What Happened to the Wiederhorns

The leadership situation at Fat Brands is unusual even by bankruptcy standards.

Andy Wiederhorn, the company's CEO and founder, agreed as part of a court settlement to temporarily step aside during the bankruptcy process. That agreement also terminated the employment of the entire Wiederhorn family: Taylor, Thayer, and Mason Wiederhorn have all been removed from company roles.

The settlement terms include a $5 million payment to Wiederhorn once the bankruptcy financing is formally approved. That figure raised eyebrows in the industry, given that Wiederhorn's leadership contributed substantially to the debt load that triggered the filing in the first place. The $1.5 billion in total debt that Fat Brands is carrying did not accumulate without years of decisions made at the top.

Here is the detail that will generate conversation in every franchise boardroom: Wiederhorn is still allowed to bid on Twin Peaks and Round Table Pizza during the sale process. The CEO who agreed to step aside during bankruptcy proceedings can, under the terms of the settlement, submit a qualified bid to buy back the company's best assets. Whether that bid would be competitive, or whether creditors would look favorably on it, is an open question. But the possibility is real.

Reading the Portfolio: Which Brands Have Value

Fat Brands assembled 18 brands and 2,300-plus locations: Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Fazoli's, Twin Peaks, Smokey Bones, and others spanning everything from fast casual to full-service bar concepts.

Not all of them are worth the same thing to a buyer.

Twin Peaks is the portfolio's clear prize. The sports lodge bar and grill concept generates average unit volumes well above the category average. It has a differentiated format, a loyal regional following, and room to expand geographically. Any buyer who acquires Twin Peaks is getting a concept with real growth runway, not a legacy brand requiring expensive repositioning. Expect this brand to attract the most serious bidders and the highest multiple.

Round Table Pizza has a durable West Coast consumer base and decades of brand equity in its core markets. The pizza category has proven more resilient than some adjacent segments in recent years, and Round Table has unit economics that can support a franchise system with the right ownership. It is a realistic candidate for sale to a regional operator or a restaurant-focused private equity firm.

Fatburger carries the original brand identity of the company. Its fast-casual positioning and international footprint give it appeal in certain markets. The brand has been around since 1952, which is worth something, though that heritage alone does not make the unit economics work.

Johnny Rockets is the toughest case. The mall-based diner concept has been shrinking for years, and the structural headwinds facing mall traffic are not reversing. A buyer would need a clear repositioning thesis and the capital to execute it. Without that, Johnny Rockets could end up at closing rather than at auction.

Smokey Bones has already contracted dramatically from its peak, down to roughly 26 remaining locations from more than 100 at acquisition. At this size, the brand is too small to generate meaningful royalty income as a standalone franchisor. The ongoing Smokey Bones to Twin Peaks conversion play offers one path: if a buyer acquires both brands together, the conversion pipeline has real value. If the brands are split, that optionality disappears.

The remaining brands in the portfolio, including Marble Slab Creamery, Hot Dog on a Stick, and Pretzelmaker, are niche concepts that could attract opportunistic buyers at modest prices or could be wound down if no qualified bid emerges.

The Stalking Horse Question

One of the more significant outcomes of the April 3 deadline will be whether a stalking horse bid materializes.

In a bankruptcy auction, a stalking horse bidder sets the floor price and terms. The process gives the stalking horse certain protections, typically a break-up fee paid if a higher bid wins. From the estate's perspective, a stalking horse provides transaction certainty and signals to the market that a credible buyer exists. From a buyer's perspective, it provides first-mover advantage and helps set deal terms.

Given Wiederhorn's stated intention to bid on Twin Peaks and Round Table Pizza, there is a scenario where he emerges as a stalking horse for those specific brands. That would be an unusual dynamic: the departing CEO setting the floor for assets he built, with competing buyers required to top his terms. Creditors and the court would need to determine whether such a bid serves the estate's interests.

What Franchisees Should Do Right Now

Operators inside the Fat Brands system do not control the sale process, but they are not powerless. Several actions are worth taking before the April 28 auction.

Understand your franchise agreement's transfer and assignment provisions. When a brand is sold in bankruptcy, the buyer typically assumes the franchise agreements as part of the asset purchase. But terms can change. Know what your agreement says about assignment, transfer fees, and the conditions under which your agreement survives a change of ownership.

Engage with the franchisee associations. Several Fat Brands concepts have active franchisee organizations. These groups have standing to be heard in the bankruptcy proceedings and can negotiate collectively in ways individual operators cannot. If your brand's franchisee group is not already in contact with bankruptcy counsel, that conversation should happen before April 24.

Model your business under multiple ownership scenarios. If your brand gets acquired by a well-capitalized buyer with a growth plan, your situation improves. If your brand gets acquired by a cost-cutting private equity firm focused on royalty extraction, you may face a different reality. If no qualified bid emerges for your brand and it enters a wind-down, you need a plan. Stress-test all three outcomes against your lease obligations, staff commitments, and personal guarantees.

Do not assume the status quo continues. The filing of Chapter 11 is not a normal operating period. Marketing fund spending, supply chain relationships, and technology infrastructure are all at risk during restructuring. Franchisees who plan as if things will return to normal quickly tend to be the ones who get caught flat-footed.

What This Means for Buyers

For the 120-plus parties who received marketing materials, the Fat Brands sale offers a range of acquisition profiles depending on which brands and which assets they target.

The most attractive single-brand acquisition is Twin Peaks, but expect competition and a price that reflects the brand's genuine quality. Buyers targeting Round Table Pizza or Fatburger individually are likely looking at more modest multiples and a turnaround thesis. Buyers who want the full portfolio, or a significant slice of it, are making a bet on operational complexity and the ability to rationalize costs across brands that have different consumer bases, different supply chains, and different unit economics.

Private equity firms with restaurant operating experience are the natural acquirer class here. The same dynamics that make this situation difficult for Fat Brands, 18 brands requiring attention simultaneously, make it attractive for a buyer who can carve out the strongest assets and focus capital there.

The $1.5 billion debt load is the single largest obstacle to any transaction. Buyers are acquiring assets, not liabilities, but the debt has to be resolved somehow. The structure of any winning bid will need to address how the secured and unsecured creditors recover, and that negotiation will shape what acquirers can realistically pay for the operating businesses.

The Bigger Picture

The Fat Brands situation is one of the most consequential restructurings in the restaurant franchise industry in years. Eighteen brands and thousands of franchise operators are waiting to learn who their parent company will be, what obligations will survive the transition, and whether their particular concept has a buyer willing to invest in its future.

The April 3 deadline is the first real signal. When indications of interest are submitted and the stalking horse position is established or not, the market will start to see which brands are attracting real capital and which are heading toward a different outcome.

Franchisees, investors, and operators across the industry are watching. The resolution of the Fat Brands sale will set precedents for how franchise aggregators are valued in distress, how creditors recover from securitized debt structures, and whether the brands built through aggressive rollup strategies can find new life under more disciplined ownership.

The next five weeks will answer those questions.

Fat Brands Inc. and Twin Hospitality Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 26, 2026. Court filings are available through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Sources for sale timeline and process details: Restaurant Dive, Restaurant Business Online, QSR Magazine, Franchise Times.