SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – A network of Pihakis restaurant entities and their owners are facing a lawsuit accusing them of selling their future sales to a lender for cash upfront, then intentionally blocking the company from collecting the money.
Fox Funding Group filed the lawsuit in the Shelby County Circuit Court, claiming the restaurants hid their assets by changing the names of their restaurants.
The lawsuit names multiple restaurants owned by the Pihakis Restauraunt Group, including those operating Luca Lagotto, and multiple Little Donkey, Rodney Scott’s BBQ and Hero Doughnuts locations. Individual defendants include Nick Rae Pihakis, Rita Bernhardt, Joshua Gentry and Mike Mouron.
The specific businesses named in the lawsuit are:
- Pihakis Restauraunt Group Managment, LLC
- PRG (Pihakis Restauraunt Group) LUCA Valley Post, LLC
- Pihakis Restauraunt Group, LLC
- Rodney Scott’s BBQ Met Atlanta, LLC
- Little Donkey Taqueria, LLC
- RSBBQ Partners, LLC
- Rodney Scott’s BBQ Homewood, LLC
- Rodeny Scott’s BBQ Valley Post, LLC
- PRG Valley Post, LLC
- Little Donkey Valley Post, LLC
- Little Donkey Brand, LLC
- Hero Doughnuts Summerhill, LLC
- JNN Holdings, LLC
- Pihakis Investment Group II, LLC
- Pihakis Investment Group IV, LLC
- Pihakis Investment Group, LLC
- Rodney Scott’s BBQ Charleston, LLC
- Hero Acquisition Co., LLC
- Hero Expansion Group, LLC
- Hero Doughnuts Two-Ten Georgia, LLC
- Hero Doughnuts Montgomery, LLC
- Hero D&B Partners, LLC
- Hero Doughnuts Trussville, LLC
According to the complaint, the restaurant entities entered into two agreements with Fox Funding Group in November and December 2025. The agreements sold $270,000 and $695,000 in future receipts in exchange for $200,000 and $500,000 in cash…