Pre-close · Multi-Unit Restaurants

Independent Sponsor Employment & Non-Compete Agreements in Multi-Unit Restaurants

Independent sponsor counsel for multi-unit restaurants, focused on Employment & Non-Compete Agreements and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

EV range $8M to $80M EV EBITDA $2M to $14M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

The economics on a multi-unit restaurants platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. Employment & Non-Compete Agreements is one of them.

The typical multi-unit restaurants platform sits at $8M to $80M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $14M range. The thesis runs on franchisee roll-up or regional concept acquisition. The franchisor consent letter is the deal. Get it lined up before you spend money on diligence.

The moves

How Employment & Non-Compete Agreements actually gets structured.

  1. Negotiate seller non-competes to the maximum enforceable scope, by state law.

  2. Refresh key employee restrictive covenants pre-close, where possible.

  3. Address the FTC non-compete rule and its state-by-state aftermath.

  4. Tie executive non-competes to retention bonus economics that survive a quick exit.

  5. In multi-unit restaurants, layer in franchisor LOI letter requested before market as part of the Employment & Non-Compete Agreements workstream.

The common mistake

Drafting a national-scope non-compete in California. Enforceability is a binary, not a spectrum.

Jason's take
"A non-compete is only as strong as the state it sits in. Draft for the state, not the deal."
Jason Powell · Employment & Non-Compete Agreements
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a multi-unit restaurants target, and a Employment & Non-Compete Agreements question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.