Sweet 100 Investors Look for Emerging Brands

Sweet 100, an investment firm founded by Mike DiNorsci and Mike Spilky, has made a number of restaurant investments in Southern California over the past four years.
While the majority of their investments have been at the store level, the two are looking to acquire or make a larger investment in a fast casual or upscale casual restaurant brand. Their first investment was in 2009, in the fourth location of Burger Lounge, a San Diego-based “better-burger” concept. Burger Lounge since has received an early stage financing round from private equity firm KarpReilly.

According to DiNorscia, “In providing capital for Burger Lounge, we identified an opportunity to fill a void between middle-market private equity and venture stage or seed investing. The key to our success with Burger Lounge was not only recognizing a great concept and brand, but recognizing great people and the importance of creativity in the process.”

More recently, the firm has made investments in a Californiainspired Italian kitchen and wine concept called Cucina Enoteca, and an area development/franchise operation of Broken Yoke Café, a San Diego-based breakfast and lunch concept with 10 operating units.

DiNorscia and Spilky are no strangers to the restaurant business. !ey co-founded Location Matters, a commercial real estate brokerage, which specializes in restaurant-related leasing and tenant representation. “Our real estate experience and in the Southern California restaurant industry has been a huge part of our success, as it has played a key role in our ability to find investment opportunities and share our real estate experience with our operating partners,” said DiNorscia.

DiNorscia says their firm is looking for quality equity investments in growth restaurant companies that have at least $1 million in EBITDA. He adds the firm has the capacity to invest anywhere from $1 million to $10 million. For more information, contact Mike DiNorscia at (858) 792-5521 or
mdinorscia@sweetonehundred.com.