What is the Ghost Taco Happy Belly partnership?
The Ghost Taco Happy Belly partnership is a 50-percent joint-venture that will help expand the Ghost Taco franchise across Canada, providing capital, operational expertise and national brand support.
Strategic partnership details
Ontario-born fast-casual brand Ghost Taco is entering its next era of growth after announcing a strategic partnership with Happy Belly Food Group, one of Canada’s fastest-growing restaurant consolidators and franchise accelerators. Under the joint-venture agreement, Happy Belly will acquire 50% of Ghost Taco, with an option to purchase the remaining interest as the brand scales nationally. The deal marks Happy Belly’s first acquisition of 2026 and adds Ghost Taco as the company’s 11th restaurant brand.
Founders’ perspective
“We’ve always believed Ghost Taco had the potential to become something massive, but only if we found the right people to grow with,” said co-founder Samantha Buckley. “From our first conversations, it was clear how aligned we were on the three P’s: people, processes and product. With Happy Belly’s help, we can take Ghost Taco to the moon without compromising the things that made people fall in love with the brand.”
Co-founder Grant Buckley added that the partnership aligns with the brand’s community-driven ethos and will accelerate franchise development, operational infrastructure, real-estate expansion, marketing support and national brand awareness.
Happy Belly’s view
Sean Black, chief executive officer of Happy Belly Food Group, explained the rationale: “When looking for an acquisition we look for the three P’s: people, product and process. With co-founders Samantha and Grant Buckley of Ghost Taco, we found exactly that.” He continued, “I love working with founders and helping emerging brands reach their full potential. Sam, Grant and Steve, welcome to the Happy Belly family.”
Growth outlook
The partnership is expected to accelerate franchise development and national expansion for Ghost Taco as the company prepares for aggressive growth across Canada and beyond. What began as a survival pivot during the pandemic has evolved into one of Canada’s fastest-rising emerging restaurant brands, now poised for broader market penetration with the backing of Happy Belly.
