Local Favorite Restaurants, the Dallas-based group behind El Fenix and Snuffer’s, just bought Cotton Patch Café. The deal adds 46 locations to the portfolio, and the company says it’s proof of a simple philosophy: put people first.
Mike Karns, a Dallas native who started as a busser, owns the company outright. He also runs sibling firms Triton Commercial Real Estate and Karns Commercial Real Estate. Local Favorite now operates nearly 100 locations across 10 concepts, three of which are proprietary.
The acquisition closed in June. Kyle Wright, formerly senior director of marketing for Cotton Patch, now holds the title of vice president of marketing for Local Favorite Restaurants.
People First Is the Brand
“One of our core pillars is to be the No. 1 career opportunity,” Wright said. “Many people from throughout our concepts started as a host, or a bartender, or, like Mike, a busser, and worked their way up through the ranks supporting much larger initiatives.”
“That’s our differentiator — Mike recognizes talent and puts aces in places.”
Kailey Peck joined the organization in late 2025 and is now chief of staff. She framed the approach in plainer terms.
“We think of it as purpose-driven profits,” she said. “Mike has been able to provide a career path for 3,000 people across 10 brands. That’s his passion and what makes us different. It’s not just a job.”
The portfolio spans everything from El Fenix, the historic 108-year-old Mexican restaurant that was Karns’ first acquisition, to MesoMaya, co-created by Karns and Executive Chef Nico Sanchez. There’s Village Burger Bar, Snuffer’s, Wokstar, and now Cotton Patch.
Three concepts are proprietary: Wokstar, MesoMaya, and Taqueria La Ventana. The rest were acquired, including Campuzano at the end of 2025.
Karns Only Buys What Moves Him
Wright described Karns’ selection process bluntly.
“He could be offered 100 [chain restaurants], but if there is no personal connection, it doesn’t matter how much money it will make him. He needs it to speak to him as a restaurateur.”
Peck added that the fit also has to make sense with the existing lineup.
“What makes the brands special is what makes [Karns] move. He wants to learn something, and our job in the support center is to support them, not corporatize them.”
Local Favorite Restaurants dates back to 2008, when Karns acquired El Fenix. The company was then called Firebird Restaurant Group, but Karns changed the name in 2019 to reflect the growing portfolio.
“We want to be the local favorite. Everybody has a favorite restaurant for a reason, and we want to be that restaurant, whether it’s service, cuisine, a place to hang out,” Wright said. “If we’re going to be the local favorite for everybody, we need to have variety and diversification.”
“We see a continued upward trajectory from the entirety of the brands.”
Shared Practices Across Brands
The group shares best practices across its brands. Training, cuisine, value, systems, and processes all cross company lines.
“If Campuzano is bringing a lot of guests back, we will try to understand how to support them and take that across our brands,” Peck said. “Cotton Patch is new, but we can learn from their different experience from being private equity owned. Every moment is a learning opportunity.”
Every brand in the portfolio posted year-over-year sales growth last year, and the momentum has continued into this year.
A Company Built on Acquisitions
Local Favorite Restaurants has spent years buying other restaurant groups. The pattern is consistent: Karns finds a brand he connects with personally, buys it, and folds it into the operation.
The Cotton Patch deal is a milestone for the company. The acquisition brought 46 locations into the portfolio instantly, and Wright said the trajectory is upward.
“We’re winning in a tough market and it’s because we have doubled down on the way we treat our teams and guests.”
The company’s formula — shared learnings, people-first, diversification — appears to be working. Every one of Local Favorite’s brands experienced year-over-year sales growth last year, and the momentum has continued so far this year.
Source material: “Dallas’ Local Favorite Restaurants has gained momentum by putting people first,” Nation's Restaurant News.
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