HARRISONBURG, VA (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Jack Brown’s, the Harrisonburg burger and beer restaurant that has locations nationally, including one in Charlottesville, has been acquired by a Green Shoots Brands, the owners of national chains like Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, Little Caesars and Dave’s Hot Chicken.  The Florida investment firm will take control of all 22 Jack Brown locations, according to Green Shoots website.

The Charlottesville outpost, located on the Downtown Mall, opened in February 2015.

Jack Brown’s was founded by two childhood friends, Aaron Ludwig and Mike Sabin, in 2009. They decided to follow through on an idea they first discussed after a bad day at work, according to Ludwig, in describing the start of their restaurant on the Jack Brown’s website.

“At the time I was brewing my own beer and he was working as a chef at a restaurant in South Beach … We continually dreamt of ideas around the perfect bar. All we would talk about was decor, the vibe, and the experience that we would provide. Mike and I grew up together and frequented bars. We had a dream of a bar that we never knew existed until that bad day of work, Jack Brown’s was that dream. (Hence the Est. 1985 on one of our logos.)”

According to Green Shoots, Sabin, Ludwig and Jack Brown’s President Jason Owenby will continue to run the company.

Jack Brown’s expanded over the years to 22 locations across including several locations in Virginia, as well as Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina. Green Shoots said they plan to continue the restaurant’s expansion in the future.