Brian Dunne, the former largest franchisee of the Eddie Rocket’s brand in Ireland, has acquired four former Ed’s Easy Diner sites to launch a new brand – Shake Dog, MCA has learnt.
Dunne is understood to have acquired four former Ed’s sites out of administration in Blackpool, Blackburn, Redditch and Woking for his new US retro-diner concept.
He previously operated 11 Eddie Rocket’s sites in Ireland before a legal dispute with the brand’s parent company saw him rebrand the restaurants as Rockin’ Joe’s.
Last October, Boparan Ventures, which owns the Giraffe and Harry Ramsden’s restaurant chains, struck an agreement to buy the majority of the Ed’s business through a pre-pack administration, leaving 26 sites with the administrators KPMG.
In July, MCA revealed that Smokin’ Joes, another new US themed restaurant concept, had been launched through the acquisition out of administration of four former Ed’s sites.
The new diner concept is the brainchild of Ian McAnally, formerly of Shake Shack, Handmade Burger and Hawthorn Leisure, and Craig Poole.
It recently launched on the former Ed’s Easy Diner site in Crawley Mall, with further openings lined up the ex-Ed’s units in Bridgend, Chester and in the Debenhams in Basildon.
