J.H. Whitney Capital Partners, LLC, New Canaan, Conn., acquired a majority interest in Firebirds International, LLC, Charlotte, N.C., from Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., New York.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is a casual restaurant with 48 locations throughout the United States, and delivers authentic wood-fired entrées infused with bold flavors and fresh herbs and spices.

Firebirds has a history of outperforming industry same-store sales and average unit volume benchmarks with proven success across different markets, and plans to accelerate its growth across the continental United States with the support of J.H. Whitney.

Mark Eason, chief executive officer of Firebirds, will continue in his current role.

“Firebirds’ guest-first culture and various industry recognitions are reflective of our continuous investment in our team members and customers. J.H. Whitney’s willingness to invest in the long-term success of our brand and their alignment with our core values make them the ideal partner to help us execute our growth strategy,” says Eason. “We are very pleased to have J.H. Whitney’s experience, resources and team of professionals supporting Firebirds.”

“Firebirds is a unique brand that has a distinguished and proven track record of profitability and growth, and is run by a management team that is one of the most dynamic in the industry,” says Paul Vigano, senior managing director of J.H. Whitney. “We are excited to partner with Mark and the company’s talented management team to help accelerate the company’s growth.”