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Aurify Brands
Aurify Brands is a New York-based investment platform and restaurant operator founded in 2005 by John Rigos and Andy Stern.
Aurify Brands
John Rigos and Andy Stern founded Aurify Brands (originally Aurify Kingstar) in 2005. The firm is structured as a high-impact investment platform that acquires, operates, and scales multi-unit restaurant and hospitality concepts. Wealth origin is not publicly attributed to a specific family branch; the co-CEOs are entrepreneurs with backgrounds in operations, strategy, and finance, with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD (Rigos) and Vanderbilt University (Stern). The firm invests across franchise brands — it is a New York franchisee for Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Wingstop — and original or emerging concepts such as Fields Good Chicken, Melt Shop, Le Pain Quotidien, and Happy Monkey in Greenwich, Connecticut. Aurify also makes venture-style investments in hospitality-enabling technologies like recipe software, work management systems, and AI-powered grocery tools (per the firm's website). Asset classes include restaurant real estate, operating businesses, and tech platforms. The geographic focus is primarily the New York metropolitan area, with additional units in Connecticut and plans to expand elsewhere. Aurify is backed by Eldridge Industries, a privately held investment firm (per the firm's website). The platform employs a centralized support team for finance, HR, procurement, legal, construction, and IT across all brands. A notable recent development: in September 2023, the firm was recognized as a top operator in both the Five Guys and Wingstop systems (per the firm's website). Adjacent entities include a content creation capability, though the firm does not disclose a separate philanthropic foundation or operating company. The firm emphasizes what it calls 'operational alpha' — the margin earned by replacing gut-feel processes with systems and data, while keeping restaurant-level operators empowered. This hybrid structure, combining centralized infrastructure with brand-level autonomy, distinguishes Aurify from both pure private equity and traditional multi-unit operators.
General information
Firm type
Family Office
Year founded
2005
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
10 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, United States
Principals
John Rigos
Co-CEO
Andy Stern
Co-CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Aurify Brands?
Investment decisions are made by the two co-CEOs, John Rigos and Andy Stern, both with over 20 years of hospitality operations and investing experience, per the firm's website.
How does Aurify Brands source proprietary deal flow?
The firm relies on its own operational network, culinary and creative talent, and relationships with founders and industry professionals built over 20 years. It also collaborates with its capital partner Eldridge Industries on deal sourcing (per the firm's website).
Is Aurify Brands structured as a single family office or a venture firm?
The firm describes itself as a high-impact investment platform with a centralized operations backbone. While it makes venture-style investments in hospitality technology, its primary model is acquiring and operating multi-unit restaurant concepts, not a traditional venture capital fund.
Does Aurify Brands participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm primarily makes direct investments in restaurant brands and hospitality businesses. It does not publicly disclose participation in third-party fund commitments.
What investment stages does Aurify Brands typically target?
The firm invests across stages including start-up ventures, high-growth brands, distressed M&A, and special situations. It also develops its own original concepts and helps franchise brands expand (per the firm's website).
Which sectors does Aurify Brands explicitly avoid?
The firm does not publicly list any sectors it avoids, but its disclosed portfolio focuses exclusively on hospitality, restaurants, health and wellness, and related technology.
How is Aurify Brands related to Eldridge Industries?
Eldridge Industries is a capital partner that backs Aurify Brands. The firm does not disclose Eldridge's ownership stake or governance role, but Eldridge is cited as providing world-class capital support (per the firm's website).
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