Andrew Gruel, CEO and founder of Slapfish, and his wife, Lauren, sold their interest in the fast-casual seafood restaurant chain.
The Gruels sold their interest In Huntington Beach, California, U.S.A.-based Slapfish to Mac Haik Enterprises, Gruel told Nation’s Restaurant News.
The 22-unit Slapfish partnered with MH Slapfish Capital LLC, a restaurant division of Ma Haik, in the fall of 2019, according to NRN. MH Slapfish Capital said it would develop as many as 30 franchised units of the seafood-oriented concept in Texas and Arkansas. However, those restaurant concepts were not opened, according to NRN.
Gruel was on vacation and unavailable for comment when contacted by SeafoodSource.
Gruel confirmed the sale in a 3 July post on Twitter.
“The plan was always to exit at 10 years and start all over again,” he wrote.
Gruel plans to open a “flex-casual-style” Calico Fish House in Huntington Beach this fall, he told NRN. Calico will feature sustainable local seafood and a full bar. Gruel also plans to expand Tustin, California, U.S.A.-based Big Parm Pizza, which he already owns, along with a plant-based Butterleaf brand and Two Birds, a chicken concept, according NRN.
“Something that I kind of leaned into through the pandemic is to create an opportunity where I can feed people as they need it, whether that's free or at cost for situations where the economy takes a turn or there’s a crisis that occurs,” Gruel told NRN. “I think it’s stitched into our mental DNA now to not know what’s next, so I wanted to build concepts where it’s value-friendly.”
Gruel was outspoken about California’s dining restrictions during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Slapfish kept its Los Angeles restaurants open for indoor and outdoor dining in December 2021, even after a government ban on both indoor and outdoor dining was issued for 11 counties, including Los Angeles County.
Gruel also criticized a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report linking an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths to on-premises dining at restaurants.
Photo courtesy of Slapfish
