March 19, 2015
$85 Million Senior Debt Facility Provides Growth Capital for In-theatre Dining Exhibitor
EFA Partners, a boutique financial advisory firm that provides investment banking services focused on arranging capital and strategic consulting services for entertainment, media and telecom companies, announced that it successfully led the effort of closing a senior debt facility on behalf of Studio Movie Grill (SMG).
Studio Movie Grill is a leader in the fast-growing in-theatre dining space, with twenty sites in nine states and plans for further expansion throughout the US. The loan will provide additional funding to support the company’s strategic growth initiatives as well as ongoing operations.
“Studio Movie Grill has a long standing relationship with EFA Partners and is delighted to have expanded our relationship with the EFA team as we worked to complete this transaction,” stated Brian Schultz, owner, founder and President of Studio Movie Grill. “EFA has proven time-and-time again that it truly understands our unique position in the film exhibition industry. They are an integral partner in helping us obtain the necessary capital to continue growing our footprint of theatres across the US.”
Studio Movie Grill has been a client of EFA for over four years, beginning in 2011 when EFA led a $40 million financing which recapitalized the company and provided growth capital to open new theatres. As Studio Movie Grill has continued to grow, EFA has arranged to expand the company’s debt facility to $85 million, which places the company in a much stronger position to execute its strategic growth plans.
“Studio Movie Grill continues to be an industry leader with in-theatre dining, and it has been a pleasure working with Brian and his team over the past several years,” stated Brandt Gully, managing partner and founding principal of EFA Partners. “We look forward to continuing our relationship and helping SMG meet its growth objectives.”
About EFA Partners
EFA Partners is a boutique financial advisory firm that provides investment banking services focused on arranging capital, M&A, and financial consulting services for entertainment, leisure, media, and telecommunications companies. Its senior team has closed and managed over $14.5 billion of financings in its targeted sectors. EFA has a wealth of relationships from which to source capital including local and regional banks, national and international banks, specialty finance groups, equipment financiers, providers of mezzanine debt and private equity groups. Since its formation in 2009, EFA has been retained by over 90 clients and placed over $800 million of capital as well as advised on over $1.2 billion of additional transactions.
About Studio Movie Grill
SMG modernized the traditional movie-going experience by combining first-run movies with in-theater dining, and is differentiated in the market today by its continued ability to innovate and maximize movie and menu offerings. SMG has existing locations in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, California, and Florida, with more expansion on the way.