RMH Franchise Holdings, Inc. and affiliates
Young Conaway serves as restructuring counsel to the Debtors. Prior to the filing of their chapter 11 cases in May 2018, the Debtors formed what is believed to be the second-largest franchisee operator of Applebee’s restaurants, operating 159 restaurants across 15 geographically diverse states. The Debtors filed their chapter 11 cases to further the restructuring efforts they had commenced out-of-court in 2017 through additional lease renegotiations and optimization of their restaurant portfolio, and to avoid the forfeiture of their valuable franchise rights as a result of certain precipitous actions threatened by their franchisor, Applebee’s Restaurants LLC and certain of its affiliates. As sole restructuring counsel to the Debtors, Young Conaway guided the Debtors into the chapter 11 process on an expedited basis, preparing the “first day” pleadings necessary to ensure a smooth transition into chapter 11 for the company’s business operations, and working with the Debtors to further their restructuring efforts by, among other things, closing certain underperforming restaurant locations and rejecting the associated leases and franchise agreements, obtaining authority to make certain post-petition severance payments to their employees in connection with the closed locations, and obtaining Court approval of the Debtors’ sale of certain real property. Most importantly, Young Conaway defeated Applebee’s efforts to terminate the Debtors’ franchise agreements, and ultimately guided the Debtors through a consensual new value restructuring whereby the Debtors’ existing equity holder remained in place and the Debtors emerged with a significantly de-levered balance sheet. Young Conaway continues to advise the Debtors as they analyze claims and various other matters.