Along with the restaurateur's franchised locations in Florida and Georgia, 40 stores will be housed under new corporate parent, Play Ball USA.
Outback cofounder Bob Basham, a franchisee of sports bar Glory Days Grill, is acquiring the company's 22-unit corporate footprint in Virginia and Maryland.
Financial details weren't disclosed.
Including Bashman's stores in Florida and Georgia, 40 locations will be housed under new corporate parent, Play Ball USA. The industry veteran is purchasing the restaurants from Glory Days cofounders Robert Garner and Jeff Newman. Third cofounder Richard Danker, the brother of Basham, will co-own the new corporate entity, while Garner and Newman will retire.
“The opportunity to work side by side with my brother, Richard, that’s my idea of the glory days,” Basham said in a statement. “Richard and I are looking forward to continuing to expand the brand throughout the Southeast while providing quality food in a fun, sports-centric atmosphere.”
Basham cofounded Outback in March 1988, along with Chris Sullivan, Trudy Cooper, and Tim Gannon. He also helped start Tampa-based fast casual PDQ in 2011. The restaurateur joined Glory Days as a franchisee in 2013, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Prior to entering the company, he was searching for ways to rebrand Lee Roy Selmon's, a now defunct casual-dining chain that either closed stores or converted to Glory Days.
He opened Glory Day's first Georgia restaurant in December 2019. At that time, the sports bar had crossed $100 million in systemwide annual sales.
Glory Days was founded in 1996, with the first location coming in Burke, Virginia. Danker has 40 years of foodservice experience and was one of the original investors in Outback. He previously owned steakhouse concept Danker's in Washington, D.C. and Dank's Deli (now known as Middleburg Deli) in Virginia.
“Jeff, Robert and I are very proud of the Glory Days Grill brand we have built over the last 26 years,” Danker said in a statement. “I will miss my business partners but look forward to collaborating even more closely with my brother, Bob Basham, to continue to make Glory Days a respected and loved brand.”
