Sandy Springs-based Huddle House buys Perkins restaurant chain

Sandy Springs-based restaurant chain Huddle House, which was founded in Decatur, announced it has agreed to purchase the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery chain. Photo courtesy of Huddle House

Sandy Springs-based restaurant chain Huddle House, which was founded in Decatur, announced it has agreed to purchase the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery chain. Photo courtesy of Huddle House

Huddle House, the Decatur-born, breakfast-focused restaurant chain, said it has a deal to buy Memphis-based Perkins Restaurant & Bakery.

Huddle House plans to operate the 342-unit chain out of its own headquarters in Sandy Springs, but the brands will remain separate and there are no plans to convert any of their locations to a sister restaurant.

Together, the chains have more than 700 restaurants opened or planned and generate more than $800 million in annual sales, according to the metro Atlanta chain.

Perkins has been bruised financially in recent years and had been lodged in bankruptcy court. Media outlet Restaurant Business reported that, according to bankruptcy court filings, Huddle House agreed to pay $51.5 million for Perkins.

Huddle House declined to comment on financial terms.

Both chains are all-day breakfast focused.

Perkins is primarily concentrated in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin, though the chain spread into other states and Canada. The company’s website shows one Georgia location: in Savannah.

Huddle House is predominantly in rural parts of the South. It lists 85 Georgia restaurants, but only a handful in metro Atlanta. The company says it is “for anyone who doesn’t need that next trendy thing, but instead wants a home-cooked meal.”

John Sparks, who launched the chain in 1964, came up with the Huddle House name after high school players visited following a practice, according to the company.