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Comment by phkahler | Hacker News Reader

>> To raise enough cash to make the deal happen, Golden Gate sold off Red Lobster's real estate to another entity — in this case, a company called American Realty Capital Properties

I wonder if the Golden Gate investors also own American Realty, or are good friends of theirs. Sure GG made their money, but owning the real estate seems like a second good investment so long as the chain doesn't go under and the lease terms are favorable.

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What a short sighted, money grubbing decision by people that didn't actually care about the wellbeing of the company. Keeping the land the restaurants are on means higher margins of profit long term and the ability to weather problems. Selling it off and then leasing it back does...exactly what happened here.

The people in PE don't concern themselves with the wellbeing of a company in any sort of moral or sentimental sense. The company's future is dependent on what turns the highest profit on their time and investment. Sometimes the most money is made in value extraction and crippling the company long term. They are the vampires and vultures of the economy.

In fact you could argue that Red Lobster has suffered from a long term decline due to poor positioning in the marketplace, and the PE shops are accelerating what was likely to happen anyway.

You're responding as if the person you're replying to wasn't asking a question, but stating a fact. Do you know about the details or even a general outline of the considerations that went into this decision?

Bluntly, they're irrelevant. Selling off the real estate is a short-term books-juicer that's tantamount to pillaging the contingency fund. Classic corporate raider move.

It seems fine to me if the other outcome was an earlier and less-efficient bankruptcy and liquidation.

Why should anyone care about the wellbeing of a company? This sounds like an exercise in anthropomorphism.

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