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How Private Equity Killed Fast Food

GEN

1,681,514 views

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Roark Capital controls Subway, Dunkin, Arby’s, Sonic, Buffalo Wild Wings, and more than 100,000 restaurant locations, so why does your favorite neighborhood spot suddenly feel like private equity’s next target?

This covers Roark Capital, Blackstone, Golden Gate Capital, Subway, Red Lobster, Jersey Mike’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Sysco, Restaurant Depot, and the fees, loans, real estate deals, and supplier contracts behind them. If eating out feels more expensive, portions feel smaller, and every restaurant somehow looks the same, this is private equity, fast food, restaurant chains, franchise fees, and the corporate slop taking over your lunch.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:49 The Worst Business in America
09:54 What Changed After They Bought It
16:19 Why You Have Nowhere Left to Go

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Disclaimer: This video and channel is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice. All views expressed are my personal opinions. Before making any investment decisions, consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors, as this content is for informational purposes only and not intended as investment recommendations.

20 Comments

@GEN Creator 1 month ago (edited) Pinned

You know what, let's do something different. Drop your favorite mom and pop restaurant. That way people in this community can go to one of those restaurants if they are ever in the area, instead of any of the slop restaurants. My favorite right now is this Japanese izakaya restaurant in Sao Paulo called Quito Quito.

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@d.d.vignali4419 1 month ago

Maybe the real private equity is the poverty we made along the way.

@BagholderAssociation 1 month ago

subway losing stores while its owner makes more money might be the clearest explanation of this whole business model

@Unselfless 1 month ago

I work for a healthcare company that used to be completely owned by the founder. Everyone was treated very well and the average turnover rate was 10 years. Now they're owned by private equity and it's only taken them 3 years to destroy a company that had been around for 30 years

@rrz1615 1 month ago

Private equity is single handily destroying many aspects of normal life.

@music_YT2023 1 month ago

Private equity is also buying up local vets, dentists and hospitals (like Stewart Health, which recently went bankrupt). It feels like nothing is safe from 'value extraction' and price gouging.

@pablomartinez1504 1 month ago

private equity is the modern monopoly and laws haven't caught up

@kaptainwarp 1 month ago

Antitrust should be invoked against these practices.

@nightelfmohawk9821 1 month ago

Crazy how That old verse keeps getting proven true over and over again, "The Love of money is the root of ALL EVIL"

@jacoba7275 1 month ago

Also private equity is ruining EVERYTHING. RIP Southwest Airlines

@TheBakedalaskajoe 1 month ago

u ever seen goodfellas? they ran a restaurant into massive debt and then torched the building. i feel like private equity is making a more sophisticated play on the same criminal action.

@nicoletteferragamo 1 month ago

I learnt how to cook on YouTube, i stopped eating out, I save thousands of dollars a year, and I got healthier and feel better

@birch337 1 month ago (edited)

It is not only about the private equity, but about monopolies owning everything. Private Equity super entities act the same way as monopolies do. They have to be prohibited to be so big and then regulated.

@TrinityArt373 1 month ago

Private equity is killing everything. A lot of my favorite YouTube channels from years past have been bought up and enshittified.

@Andrew-t2h4r 1 month ago

Explains why i lost 100% of my desire to eat out. Everything lost its flavor. Turns out feeling that way wasn't just in my head.

@QueenetBowie 1 month ago

I’ll never forgive them for what they did to Dunkin Donuts. They used to bake them fresh in house, now they ship them in and they sit there for 10+ hours and taste like garbage

@t120.29 1 month ago

The private equity story is big on YouTube.

I thank God everyday for people like you, who continue to dig and get the larger truths out.

Thank you, God bless, and much love

@Tormekia 1 month ago

Private Equity isn't investing.

It's value mining.

They are extraction systems.

@Jazzy_Waffles 1 month ago

I hate what Private Equity has done to...everything. I cook at home, and know I save money that way too. But sometimes, I want fast food. And it's cheaper if I use a fast food app, cause of the coupons and deals. But now, they're collecting and selling my data. I love it here. 😭