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| Scott Slater of Slater's 50/50 |
After closing his S&M Sausage and Meat concept in North Park last month, Scott Slater took to social media today to announce that he has sold all six Slater’s 50/50 restaurants, including the two San Diego locations, to Elite Restaurant Group, with hopes of a future national expansion of the Southern California chain of burger-centric gastropubs.
Slater's 50/50 gained an almost-immediate following upon opening in 2009 in Anaheim for its bacon-infused burger patties and devotion to craft beer. The company grew to six total California restaurants located in Anaheim Hills, Huntington Beach, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena, San Marcos and San Diego's Liberty Station, with another Lake Forest location that closed last year. Slater has stated that none of the location will be immediately affected by the sale and that the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice that was filed and distributed on December 7 to Slater's 300-plus employees was merely courtesy protocol in such a corporate restructuring.
Slater, who attended San Diego State University, has stated in a statement released on the company's social media pages that he is stepping down as president of the company he founded to allow Elite Restaurant Group "to take my baby to the next level." He has assured that he will remain with the company and that "As long as there is breath in my body the integrity of this brand will be intact. I am not going anywhere!"
Little is known at this point about who Elite Restaurant Group is. According to Scott Slater, the company is a former "franchise of some other concepts but have sold all interest in every other restaurant to 100% focus on Slater’s 50/50." The group intends to renovate existing Slater's locations and begin expansion of the brand in 2017.
On November 23, Slater closed his S&M Sausage and Meat location in North Park, possibly due to the impending sale of Slater's 50/50. We reached out to Scott Slater for further comment and will update this story when we hear back.
On November 23, Slater closed his S&M Sausage and Meat location in North Park, possibly due to the impending sale of Slater's 50/50. We reached out to Scott Slater for further comment and will update this story when we hear back.
