Brix Holdings owns the Friendly’s restaurant chain. Multi-unit franchisee Amol Kohli bought Brix Holdings, the company announced this week.
As a child of immigrant parents, Amol Kohli learned the importance of hard work while growing up.
He displayed that work ethic as a teenager when he landed a gig as a server at a newly opened Friendly’s and worked his way up to a shift manager before attending Drexel University in Philadelphia. At the time, he aimed to work on Wall Street with his business degrees.
His former boss offered him a job working in the back office to help run a few Friendly’s locations and Kohli grew to be a 30-unit Friendly’s operator.
“This is an industry that will humble you over and over and over,” Kohli said. “Every time you think you want to celebrate a win, what I’m going to tell you is that if the win makes sense, there’s nothing to celebrate. You just keep going.”
Responding to guest feedback and a rising demand for increased protein-packed options, Clean Juice unveiled an expanded menu designed to meet diverse nutritional goals.
“We knew it was time to evolve,” Roberto De Angelis, Chief Experience Officer of BRIX Holdings, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. “The original menu had great intentions, but over time it became a bit overwhelming for both our guests and our operators. The goal was to simplify, clarify, and introduce more craveable, functional options without losing sight of what makes Clean Juice special.” Clean Juice, which has has more than 60 stores across 19 states, is owned by CJ Fresh Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of BRIX.
From initial strategy through testing and rollout, the implementation took approximately nine months, De Angelis said, adding it was a team effort across culinary, marketing, operations, and franchisees.
“It was worth every step. Change is always a challenge, especially across a growing system. We’re focused on making sure every franchisee feels confident and supported. That means training, communication, and being responsive to feedback. Sustaining it will come down to how well we continue to listen to our guests feedback and evolve. We’re not treating this as a one-and-done. It’s the beginning of a more dynamic, responsive approach to menu innovation.”
Amol Kohli, a multi-unit Friendly’s franchisee, heads new Brix Holdings owner, the Legacy Brands International investment group
Friendly’s and the rest of the Brix Holdings brands are now under new ownership.
What propels someone from serving breakfast at Friendly’s to owning the entire company? For Amol Kohli, now owner of Friendly’s parent company Brix Holdings through his investment group Legacy Brands International, the long journey required patience, hard work, and good timing.
Kohli comes from a first-generation Indian-American immigrant family and said he was taught the value of hard work at a young age. As a teenager, one of his first jobs was working as a breakfast shift waiter at his local Friendly’s on the weekends, where by age 18 he had worked his way up to store manager. Kohli went to business school at Drexel University during a time of economic downturn, and while in school, he received a call from his boss at Friendly’s who was acquiring stores and wanted help running the back office.
Legacy Brands International, led by Friendly’s franchisee Amol Kohli, has acquired BRIX Holdings, a Dallas-based multi-brand franchising platform.
The deal includes ownership of Friendly’s, Clean Juice, Orange Leaf, Red Mango, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Souper Salad and Humble Donut Co. Terms were not disclosed. BRIX will remain headquartered in Dallas under CEO Sherif Mityas and its existing leadership team. The acquisition positions BRIX for further national expansion, particularly in the South and Southeast, while also pursuing additional brand acquisitions.
Dilworth Paxson advised Legacy Brands International, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher advised the sellers.
Friendly’s will still operate under the same leadership team.
Brix Holdings — the 250-unit parent company to Friendly’s Restaurants, Clean Juice, Red Mango, and Orange Leaf — has been acquired by Legacy Brands International, an investment group managed by multi-unit Friendly’s franchisee, Amol Kohli.
As part of the transaction, which was finalized by the now-former owner, Jamco Interests, for an undisclosed sum, Brix will remain headquartered in Dallas and will continue to be led by the existing leadership team, including CEO Sherif Mityas. Kohli will continue to manage his 30 franchised locations and will join the Brix board as chairman.
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