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Neal Aronson founded Roark Capital in 2001 after working in the hotel business.
Roark has acquired 90 brands that have 63,000 locations and account for $54 billion in system revenues
Roark is best known for its fast-food empire and brands such as Jamba, Arby s, and Dunkin .
On a winter night in Dallas in 2018, Dave Pace, the chief executive of Jamba Juice, met with Steve DeSutter, the leader of Focus Brands, for a steak dinner. DeSutter ran the emerging multi-unit fast-food company whose mall-based brands included Auntie Anne s and Cinnabon.