Inspire Brands just took the first step toward what could be one of the largest restaurant IPOs ever. The company, which owns Dunkin’, Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Baskin-Robbins, Sonic Drive-In, and Jimmy John’s, confidentially filed for an initial public offering on Friday. Private equity firm Roark Capital, which backs Inspire, is reportedly seeking a valuation of roughly $20 billion, according to CNBC.
Inspire was founded in 2018 through a merger between Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. The company then acquired Sonic later in 2018, Jimmy John’s in 2019, and took Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins private in 2020 in an $11 billion deal. Across those six chains, Inspire operates more than 33,300 restaurants worldwide with $33.4 billion in annual sales.
The company isn’t alone in pursuing an IPO. Jersey Mike’s also confidentially filed with the SEC last month. The market for initial public offerings has been tepid, though several blockbuster IPOs—including a SpaceX offering that could value the company at more than $1 trillion—are anticipated in the coming months.
Inspire Brands just took the first step toward what could be one of the largest restaurant IPOs ever. The company, which owns Dunkin’, Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Baskin-Robbins, Sonic Drive-In, and Jimmy John’s, confidentially filed for an initial public offering on Friday. Private equity firm Roark Capital, which backs Inspire, is reportedly seeking a valuation of roughly $20 billion, according to CNBC.
Inspire was founded in 2018 through a merger between Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. The company then acquired Sonic later in 2018, Jimmy John’s in 2019, and took Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins private in 2020 in an $11 billion deal. Across those six chains, Inspire operates more than 33,300 restaurants worldwide with $33.4 billion in annual sales.
The company isn’t alone in pursuing an IPO. Jersey Mike’s also confidentially filed with the SEC last month. The market for initial public offerings has been tepid, though several blockbuster IPOs—including a SpaceX offering that could value the company at more than $1 trillion—are anticipated in the coming months.



