Rosser Capital Partners, a private investment firm focused on investing in restaurant, consumer, and retail companies, invested in Barteca Holdings LLC to support the growth of its restaurant brands. Barteca is the operator of the restaurant concepts Barcelona Wine Bar and bartaco.
Barcelona Wine Bar is an award-winning Spanish tapas restaurant, founded in 1995 by Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer, featuring a unique menu of chef-inspired dishes and a comprehensive wine list. The company currently operates seven Barcelona Wine Bar restaurants, primarily in Connecticut, as well as in Atlanta.
New restaurants are scheduled to open shortly in Boston and Washington, D.C. Barcelona has been one of Zagat’s “America’s Top Restaurants” for the last five years, and was recently profiled in Wine Enthusiast magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Wine Restaurants,” and in Travel and Leisure as one of “America’s 10 Best Wine Bars.”
bartaco, started in 2010 in Port Chester, New York, is a traditional taqueria serving more than 20 tequila and taco varieties in a beach-inspired décor setting. The company recently opened its second bartaco location in Stamford, Connecticut, and has plans to open two additional locations this year.
Sasa Mahr-Batuz will continue in his role as creative director, and Andy Pforzheimer will continue as CEO. Both will maintain significant ownership stakes in the company.
Harold O. Rosser and his team have in the restaurant sector for more than 20 years and have structured an investment in Barteca with Mahr-Batuz and Pforzheimer to further support continued development of the brands with their ongoing involvement.
“They have created two exciting restaurant concepts that we believe are highly scalable and we are very pleased to partner with these talented and creative entrepreneurs,” says Rosser, managing partner of Rosser Capital Partners. “We are pursuing investment opportunities that play to our strengths and Barteca clearly fits that criteria.”
Mahr-Batuz adds, “Andy and I have built a business over the past 16 years based on what we love to eat, and how we like to be treated. With the know-how and experience of the Rosser Capital Partners team we believe we can extend these concepts to more guests while maintaining that high quality that sits at the core of a great guest experience.”
During his career, Rosser and his team have been actively involved in the acquisition and management of California Pizza Kitchen, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, Logan’s Roadhouse, Au Bon Pain, Il Fornaio / Corner Bakery, Ruth's Hospitality Group, and Bravo Brio Restaurant Group.
