Green Shoot Brands Buys 22-Unit Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint

Green Shoot Brands, a Florida-based franchisor with 410 units across 27 states and Washington, D.C., has acquired Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint, a 22-unit casual-dining chain operating in seven states. Financial terms were not disclosed, the Nashville Business Journal reported.

The deal, confirmed in late October by several media outlets, adds a burger-and-beer concept to Green Shoot's nine-brand portfolio, which generated more than $500 million in system sales, according to the company's website. Green Shoot franchises Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon, Jamba, Carvel, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Little Caesars, PopUp Bagels and Dave's Hot Chicken.

A Green Shoot spokesperson told The Tennessean the acquisition includes all Jack Brown's locations, with further expansion planned. "The burger, the beer and the feel won't change," the spokesperson said.

Who stays, who exits?

Founders Aaron Ludwig and Mike Sabin and president Jason Owenby will continue running the company. Ludwig and Sabin opened the first Jack Brown's in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 2009, building the concept around burgers, craft beer and a dive-bar atmosphere. The chain now operates in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The ownership change also includes the exit of an early investor. Chenault Sanders told the Nashville Business Journal he sold his interests in the restaurant business to support its continued growth in Nashville. Sanders and his partners will retain the real estate housing the Germantown and Clarksville restaurants — a structure that separates the operating business from the property underneath two of its units.

What does Green Shoot get?

Jack Brown's brings a deliberately narrow menu built on American Wagyu beef burgers with unconventional toppings. The Greg Brady stacks housemade macaroni and cheese, American cheese and barbecue potato chips; the Elvis pairs peanut butter, applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese and Duke's mayonnaise. Fries and deep-fried Oreos complete the food lineup.

Craft beer anchors the other half of the concept. Jack Brown's stocks local and international selections and runs the Notch Club, a loyalty-style program offering merchandise and beer-tasting trips to participating guests.

For Green Shoot, the purchase extends an acquisition streak that has moved the company beyond its original snack-brand portfolio. The group began in 2019 with the acquisition of Fresh Dining Concepts, then broadened its restaurant holdings under CEO Mike Evans, who joined in 2024. Nothing Bundt Cakes and Little Caesars followed in 2025; PopUp Bagels, Dave's Hot Chicken and now Jack Brown's were added this year.

Jack Brown's becomes the tenth brand in the portfolio and Green Shoot's first full-service, alcohol-driven concept among a lineup dominated by snack, dessert and quick-service franchises. With expansion planned and the founding management intact, the test will be whether a 22-unit dive-bar burger chain can scale under a franchisor built on 400-plus convenience and fast-food units.