News

Pick Up Stix rings in 2011 with new owner

December 20, 2010

Carlson Restaurant Inc. has sold its 74-unit chain Pick Up Stix to Lorne Goldberg, principal of West Coast Capital.

Brands in the West Coast portfolio include Leeann Chin, Mandarin Express and Chin’s Asian Fresh. Carlson also is the owner of T.G.I. Friday’s.

Terms of the deal include 70 Pick Up Stix corporate locations and four franchised units, all located primarily in Southern California.

Goldberg is a Los Angeles-based former investment banker and owner of Stix Holdings LLC. He entered the restaurant industry in 2004 with the purchase of the Mandarin Express chain, which now has 35 units. In 2007, he bought 43-unit Leeann Chin.

After their purchase, Goldberg invested in décor and menu improvements for both Mandarin Express and Leann Chin. He said he plans to do the same for Pick Up Stix. He also plans to move the chain to Bloomington, Minn., where Leann Chin and Mandarin Express are based.