TL;DR
Green Shoot Brands has acquired Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint, a 22-unit chain based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The acquisition adds to Green Shoot's portfolio of nine restaurant brands and approximately 410 units.
The 22-unit Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint has a new owner.
The Harrisonburg, Virginia-based chain has reportedly been acquired by Florida-based investment firm and franchise operator Green Shoot Brands, which has a portfolio of nine restaurant brands.
According to its website, Green Shoot operates about 410 restaurants, including Little Caesars, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Nothing Bundt Cakes, PopUp Bagels and the GoTo Foods concepts Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Carvel.
The group was founded in 2019 with the acquisition of Fresh Dining Concepts, including the four GoTo Foods brands. In 2024, Green Shoot began diversifying after Mike Evans, a former IHOP and Pizza Hut franchisee, joined as CEO, adding more brands to the portfolio.
Jack Brown’s was reportedly founded in 2009 by childhood best friends Mike Sabin and Aaron Ludwig, who debuted the smashburger-and-craft-beer concept in Harrisonburg. The chain has grown into Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.
According to The Tennessean, Sabin, Ludwig and Jack Brown’s President Jason Owenby will continue to run the company.
In this story
This story was originally published by Lisa Jennings in Nation's Restaurant News on October 27, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
Read the full story at Nation's Restaurant NewsLiked this? Get the week's franchise news, explained
- Sunday 8 AM ET weekly + a monthly deep dive
- Sections picked for the industries you follow
- Every claim linked to its source. Free.