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Is Boston Market Private Equity Owned?
🟡 FORMERLY PE OWNED
Boston Market
Includes Boston Chicken
fast casual · Golden, CO
PE Firm
Sun Capital Partners
Year Acquired
2007
“Sun Capital bought America's rotisserie chicken chain, then watched it slowly rot.”
What Happened
- •Sun Capital bought Boston Market in August 2007 when the chain had roughly 600 locations — then opened zero new restaurants for years
- •Sold the hollowed-out chain to private operator Engage Brands in April 2020, passing the problems downstream
- •The post-PE owner was sued over 150 times, and Colorado seized the Golden, CO headquarters for unpaid taxes in 2023
- •From over 1,100 locations at its peak to roughly 16 by the end of 2024 — one of the most complete destructions of a national restaurant brand
The Damage Done
- ▸Locations closed steadily across the country with no communication to loyal customers — families showed up to find their neighborhood Boston Market dark and locked
- ▸Menu variety shrank and food quality declined as investment dried up under PE ownership
- ▸After PE sold the chain, conditions worsened further — some remaining locations reportedly stocked shelves with supermarket food when vendor contracts collapsed
- ▸A brand that once served millions of Thanksgiving dinners is now functionally extinct — fewer than 20 locations remain from a peak of 1,100+
Sources
Also owned by Sun Capital Partners
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boston Market owned by private equity?
Not anymore. Boston Market was formerly owned by Sun Capital Partners starting in 2007, but the firm has since exited. The effects of PE ownership often linger.
What happened to Boston Market after the acquisition?
Locations closed steadily across the country with no communication to loyal customers — families showed up to find their neighborhood Boston Market dark and locked Menu variety shrank and food quality declined as investment dried up under PE ownership
Who owns Boston Market?
Boston Market is owned by Sun Capital Partners, which acquired it in 2007.