SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                       FORM 8-K

                    CURRENT REPORT

        PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
            SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED) JULY 18, 1997

                DAKA INTERNATIONAL, INC.

   (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)




DELAWARE                      0-17229                 04-3024178         
(STATE OR OTHER        (COMMISSION FILE NUMBER)      (IRS EMPLOYER 
JURISDICTION OF                                    IDENTIFICATION NO.)
INCORPORATION)


             ONE CORPORATE PLACE, 55 FERNCROFT ROAD, 
               DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS 01923-4001

    REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE (508) 774-9115

                              NO CHANGE
     (FORMER NAME OR FORMER ADDRESS, IF CHANGED SINCE LAST REPORT)






Items 1 and 2.     Change of Control; Acquisition or Disposition of
                   Assets.

         On July 17, 1997, Compass Holdings, Inc., a Delaware
         corporation ("Compass Holdings") and wholly-owned
         subsidiary of Compass Group PLC, a public limited
         company incorporated in England and Wales ("Compass")
         pursuant to its Offer to Purchase, dated May 29, 1997
         (the "Offer"), purchased 10,804,071 shares of common
         stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Common Shares"),
         of DAKA International, Inc., a Delaware corporation
         ("International") for $7.50 net per Common Share.  The
         Common Shares so purchased represented approximately
         96.9% of the Common Shares outstanding on such date. 
         Of such Common Shares, 156,691 Common Shares
         (approximately 1.4% of the Common Shares outstanding)
         were tendered pursuant to notices of guaranteed
         delivery.  The amount and nature of the consideration
         was the result of arms-length negotiation between
         Compass and International.

         Simultaneously with the purchase of the Common Shares,
         Compass Holdings also purchased 11,911.45 shares of
         Series A Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the
         "Preferred Shares") of International from the holders
         of such Preferred Shares.  The purchase price for the
         Preferred Shares was the number of Common Shares into
         which the Preferred Shares were convertible multiplied
         by $7.50 per share.  The number of Preferred Shares
         purchased represented all of the issued and outstanding
         Preferred Shares at the date of purchase. The amount
         and nature of the consideration for the Preferred
         Shares was agreed to by Compass and the holders of the
         Preferred Shares based on the price such holders would
         have received in the Offer if they chose to convert
         their Preferred Shares.

         Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the
         "Merger Agreement"), dated May 27, 1997, as amended, by
         and among Compass, Compass Holdings, International and
         Compass Interim, Inc., a Delaware corporation and
         wholly-owned subsidiary of Compass Holdings ("Compass
         Interim"), on July 18, 1997, pursuant to Section 253 of the
         General Corporate Law of Delaware, Compass Interim
         merged with and into International (the "Merger"). As a
         result of the Merger, each outstanding Common Share
         (other than Common Shares acquired by Compass Holdings
         in the Offer and Common Shares as to which appraisal
         rights are perfected) were converted into the right to
         receive $7.50 in cash.  Prior to the expiration of the
         Offer, International completed a spin-off to its
         stockholders of record on July 11, 1997 of the common
         stock of a newly created corporation that held all of
         International s businesses and subsidiaries other than
         its foodservice business (the "Foodservice Business"). 
         Accordingly, after consummation of the Offer and the
         Merger, International, consisting solely of the
         Foodservice Business, has become a wholly-owned
         subsidiary of Compass Holdings.

         Compass funded the acquisition of both the Common
         Shares and the Preferred Shares pursuant to the Offer
         and the payment of approximately $110,000,000 to
         International or as otherwise directed by International
         (as required by the Merger Agreement), and funded the
         Merger and all transaction-related fees and expenses
         with funds obtained through existing credit facilities.


    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report
to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly
authorized.

                             DAKA International, Inc.
                             (Registrant) 


                             By    /s   MICHAEL J. BAILEY  
                             Name:     Michael J. Bailey
                             Title:    Chief Executive Officer


Dated: July 18, 1997