Arti Shah

As Vice President of Real Estate and Investments, Arti Shah plays a key role originating, developing, and acquiring a variety of real estate investments. Additionally, she has played an active role in Gala Capital Partners’ acquisitions and investments.

Arti has over 15 years of experience in finance, real estate, and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). She spent the first five years of her career in financial valuation at Deloitte. She then joined a family office for over 8 year focused on real estate, investments, and a variety of operating businesses.

Arti earned a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in 2014 and has a bachelor’s degree in commerce, finance and marketing from DePaul University.

Lunchbox

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2019
Description: Lunchbox provides a collection of enterprise solutions that redefine the digital restaurant experience. With built-in growth hacking tools drive guests to your system and away from third-party.
Link: https://lunchbox.io/

Autogas

Industry: software
Stage: past
Investment year: 2008
Exit year: 2019
Description: AutoGas is the innovator of Pay-at-the-Pump technology. We acquired AutoGas in 2008 and have continued to grow the business through continued development of software solutions, including enhanced pump controls, throughout the convenience and gas industry.
Link: https://autogas.com/

Proper Food

Industry: consumer
Stage: current
Investment year: 2020
Description: Proper Food is a fresh take on takeaway – offering delicious, wholesome grab-and-go fare. The made-from-scratch menu of sandwiches, salads, soups and Chef’s specials evolves with the season. Proper Food has locations in downtown San Francisco and New York City
Link: https://properfood.com/

MOOYAH

Industry: consumer
Stage: current
Investment year: 2017
Description: MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes is a fast-casual, “better burger” concept that serves mouthwatering made-to-order, certified Angus beef burgers, French fries hand cut from Idaho potatoes, and real ice cream shakes. Founded in 2007, the Plano, Texas-based company has over 80 franchised locations in the US and internationally, and continues to grow.
Link: https://www.mooyah.com/

Famous Dave’s BBQ

Industry: consumer
Stage: current
Investment year: 2006
Description: Famous Dave’s BBQ restaurants are an award-winning BBQ chain with more than 130 locations across the country. Through its operating company, FD OpCo, LLC, it is one of the brand’s largest franchisee groups. FD OpCo currently operates 9 locations throughout California.
Link: http://www.famousdavescatering.com/

Altametrics

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2000
Description: Altametrics is a software as a service company providing enterprise class products and solutions for multi-unit businesses, focused on the chain restaurant industry. Their industry leading solutions incorporate the best of next generation AI and machine learning to determine areas of opportunity and improvement across the enterprise of their clients.
Link: https://altametrics.com/

NetPOS

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2017
Description: NetPOS is the pioneer of web-based point of sale software. Founded in 2003, they created the concept of Point of Sale software that was hosted and utilized over the Web. We invested in NetPOS and continue to further develop its offering of products and services.
Link: n/a

HOTB Software Solutions

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2019
Description: HOTB provides software as a service (SaaS) products that allow its clients to automate and streamline operational processes such as online triage/intake, grant deliveries, customer management, application underwriting, document & report generation, document libraries, and security & compliance. HOTB is located in Irvine, California and serves a range of national clients in various verticals.
Link: https://hotbsoftware.com/

Clovr Spa

Industry: consumer
Stage: current
Investment year: 2019
Description: CLOVR Life Spa elevates the standard day spa experience to a wellness and beauty journey that is personalized for you. Artfully curated spaces welcome you to unique experiences; The Chill Lounge to relax or meditate, inspiring CLOVR treatment rooms to revive and The Living Room a place designed to socialize with your community.
Link: https://clovrlifespa.com/

Ecotrak

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2020
Description: Ecotrak is a Mobile-First Technology with an Asset-First Philosophy that provides customers real-time tracking of their assets to monitor warranties, total spend, repair replace scenarios and much more.
Link: https://www.ecotrakfm.com/

Applebee’s

Industry: restaurants
Stage: past/exited
Investment year: 1998
Exit year: 2014
Description: Applebee’s is the world’s largest Grill and Bar chain of restaurants. Founded in Georgia in 1980, it has grown to over 1,800 locations around the world through franchising. Through our operating companies, we acquired and developed 20 units throughout California.
Link: https://www.applebees.com/en

Jack in the Box

Industry: restaurants
Stage: past
Investment year: 1982
Exit year: 2007
Description: Jack in the Box is a fast food chain focused on hamburgers with over 2200 locations throughout the Western and Southwestern United States. It was founded in 1951 in San Diego, CA. Through our operating companies we acquired and grew this business across California and Texas with 12 locations and 8 locations respectively. Our involvement in this brand dates back to being one of the first 3 franchisees in the entire system.
Link: https://www.jackinthebox.com/

Del Taco

Industry: restaurants
Stage: past
Investment year: 2000
Exit year: 2010
Description: Del Taco is a fast food Mexican restaurant chain, founded in 1964, with over 550 locations across the West and Southwestern US. Through our operating company, we developed and operated over 1/3 of the stores in the Phoenix Metro market.
Link: https://deltaco.com/

Plate IQ

Industry: software
Stage: current
Investment year: 2019
Description: Plate IQ makes restaurant accounting easy. Automated accounts payable software replaces manual data entry by digitizing your invoices down to the line item, automatically assigning them your proper GL codes, syncing the information to your accounting software, and providing analytics around purchasing. Plate IQ also offers one-click bill pay, inventory, and cloud-based data storage that allows a restaurant to go paperless, or work together over multiple time zones.
Link: https://plateiq.com/

Fresh Griller

Industry: consumer
Stage: current
Investment year: 2015
Description: Fresh Griller is a fast casual restaurant brand that offers globally inspired, locally sourced and always scratch made meals that taste great, and your body will love. The brand operates two locations in Orange County, California.
Link: http://freshgriller.com/

Tepy Sophat

Ms. Sophat is the Vice President of Finance and Accounting of Gala Capital Partners, LLC with over 15 years of experience in accounting, strategy, risk management, regulatory compliance, and financial advisory

She began her career as an auditor at KPMG Cambodia, specializing in Audit and Advisory in a variety of industries including manufacturing, pharmaceutical, construction, banking, hotel & hospitality and non-profit. Since joining GCP in 2007, she built over 10 years of experience in the restaurant industry serving as financial executive for several brands, both on the franchisee and franchisor side. Currently, she oversees control functions and provides financial information accuracy for multiple concepts including consolidation as well as manages payroll for over 3,500 employees. In addition, she is a member of the M&A team responsible for accounting due diligence, training, system integration, implementation, internal control, and financial reporting.

Ms. Sophat graduated in 2002 from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and has a Master’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management.

Anand Gala

Mr. Gala is the Founder and Managing Partner of Gala Capital Partners, LLC, a diversified investment and holding company with interests in chain restaurants, software & technology, real estate development, franchising and public equities investment. He has spent the past 35 years in various executive capacities within the Software, Real Estate & Restaurant Industries.

Restaurant investments have included the development and management of nationally recognized chain restaurants, both franchised and proprietary, throughout the United States. Current portfolio brands under ownership and operation include Fresh Griller, Famous Dave’s BBQ and Mooyah Burger.

Mr. Gala graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. He currently serves on the Board of Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. (Nasdaq:DAVE), is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), UCI CEO Roundtable and a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO), serving as past Chairman of the YPO Food & Beverage Industry Network and YPO Franchise Industry Network.

He is directly involved in numerous charitable causes and has served as a Director of the Gala Foundation since 2000.

John Dang

John Dang, Senior Financial Analyst, joined Gala Capital Partners in 2019. In his role, he is responsible for evaluating potential acquisition targets, developing complex financial models, and assisting in the M&A process.

John has many years of exposure in the food & beverage and real estate industry. He started his career in management for a small family business and then a large international bakery chain. Additional roles and experience has included asset manager for a small private investment firm, where he assessed the attractiveness of buying/selling of multi-family real estate and managed the day-to-day operations of the assets in his portfolio.

John received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from UC Irvine in 2009 and has recently graduated with his MBA with a focus in finance and strategy from his alma mater, the Paul Merage School of Business. As a student, he won the ACG Cup, the premier investment banking competition, along with his team, beating out other local business schools and ending a 10+ year drought for the school.

Gilles Kersten

As Vice President, Gilles Kersten plays a key role originating, executing, integrating and monitoring all of Gala Capital Partners’ acquisitions and investments since joining in 2017.
Gilles has over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). He spent the first five years of his career in investment banking positions with a focus on M&A advisory. In that capacity he worked on a variety of M&A projects across various industries, both as a sell-side and buy-side adviser. Afterwards, Gilles spent three years working in the Corporate M&A department of a global chemical company where he took part in developing and executing the company’s non-organic growth strategy.
Gilles obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics & Business from the University of Amsterdam in 2007. Furthermore, he holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Amsterdam as well as an MBA from the University of California, Irvine