Cotton Patch Cafe Enters Next Chapter of Growth Under Local Texas Ownership

Texas comfort food brand joins Local Favorite Restaurants, uniting two DFW restaurant teams

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotton Patch Cafe is raising a glass of sweet tea to a new chapter.

The comfort food brand, known for classic Texas comfort food and hospitality, has been acquired by Local Favorite Restaurants from Altamont Capital Partners. Local Favorite is a Dallas-based restaurant group founded by restaurateur Mike Karns. Recognized for growth and innovation, it is the secret sauce behind some of the area's best-known local concepts including El Fenix Mexican Restaurant, Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Wok Star Chinese, Twisted Root Burger Company, Campuzano Mexican Food and Village Burger Bar.

With the acquisition of Cotton Patch Cafe, Local Favorite Restaurants now owns 99 restaurants across ten brands, creating tremendous growth opportunities for each of its concepts across the state of Texas.

In the new structure, Karns will continue as Founder and Free-Range Creative of Local Favorite Restaurants, setting the creative and growth vision across the group. Brandon Coleman III, who led Cotton Patch Cafe as CEO, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of Local Favorite Restaurants, overseeing its full house of Texas brands.

For Karns, acquiring Cotton Patch Cafe is an opportunity to strengthen a portfolio of Texas-born restaurant brands while investing in continued growth across the state, adding a concept built around loyal guests, strong local communities and memorable dining experiences.

"This acquisition is an important step for Local Favorite Restaurants and a natural fit for the kind of brands we want under our roof," said Karns. "Cotton Patch Cafe has loyal guests, a proven track record and a Texas identity that gives it meaningful room to grow. We are excited to invest in the brand's growth across Texas markets while honoring the heritage, hospitality and comfort food experience that made it a favorite in the first place."

Coleman echoed that vision. "The most important news is also the easiest to say: the heart of the Cotton Patch experience is not changing," he said. "We will continue to bring the small-town spirit, big Texas value and quality scratch-made food guests count on, with the same focus on hospitality and community that has always made Cotton Patch feel like home."

According to Coleman, what is changing is the opportunity ahead. As part of Local Favorite Restaurants, Cotton Patch Cafe gains the scale, operational depth and shared expertise of a group with more than 50 locations across Texas; strength that can fuel growth into new markets while the brand keeps the local feel guests know. It also joins a family of fellow Texas restaurant teams that understand what it means to be unapologetically Texan, from regulars who know their order by heart to families gathering around a table after a long day.

"I'm thrilled to join Mike and the Local Favorite team," Coleman added. "What excites me most is the chance to build on the collective momentum and continue writing the story of great Texas brands."

Cotton Patch Cafe brings strong momentum to the partnership, including six consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales and traffic growth. The brand has also continued to lean into guest-friendly value through offerings such as its $9.99 Texas Value Meals, and guests have taken notice, recently winning Gold for Best Cheap Eats in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's DFW Favorites Readers' Choice Awards and The Dallas Morning News' Best in DFW Reader's Choice Awards for Best Comfort Food, Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant and Best Chain Restaurant in 2025.

"People don't just visit Cotton Patch Cafe, they make it part of their routine," said Karns. "That kind of loyalty is exactly why we see room to grow. With Brandon leading Local Favorite Restaurants, we are excited to expand the brand into new Texas markets while keeping the food, hospitality and community feel guests already love."

About Local Favorite Restaurants:
Local Favorite Restaurants owns and operates a distinctive collection of popular restaurant concepts across Texas – from legendary brands El Fenix Mexican Restaurant and Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar to original creations including Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Village Burger Bar, Twisted Root Burger Company, Campuzano Mexican Food and Wok Star Chinese. In addition to its more than 50 restaurant locations, Local Favorite owns and operates Sunrise Mexican Foods, which produces fresh-made chips, tortillas, and other high-quality Mexican food products for retail and foodservice operators nationwide. Founded by Dallas native Mike Karns, Local Favorite is dedicated to being the local favorite in every community it serves. For more information, visit www.localfavorite.com.

About Cotton Patch Cafe:
Founded in Nacogdoches, Texas, in 1989, Cotton Patch Cafe has been serving up scratch-made comfort food and small-town spirit for more than 36 years. Based in Texas, the restaurant is a place where comfort classics like hand-breaded Chicken Fried Steak bring folks together around the table. With 46 locations across Texas and New Mexico, Cotton Patch Cafe stays true to its roots with hearty meals made from scratch every day and its $9.99 Texas Value Meals that deliver big flavor at an honest price. Deeply woven into the communities it serves, Cotton Patch Cafe proudly supports local causes and neighbors in need. In 2025, the brand was honored with three Gold awards in The Dallas Morning News' Best in DFW Reader's Choice Awards for Best Comfort Food, Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant and Best Chain Restaurant. For more information, visit www.cottonpatch.com.

About Altamont Capital Partners:
Altamont Capital Partners is a private investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area with over $4 billion of capital under management. Founded in 2010, Altamont partners with leading management teams to build larger, faster-growing, and more resilient companies, with significant experience across the consumer, restaurant, and multi-unit and franchising sectors. For more information, visit www.altamontcapital.com.

Media Contact:

Mary Tolan

[email protected]; 339-203-7329

SOURCE Cotton Patch Cafe