July 06, 2019 / Allison Lamberth
FAT Brands is adding ghost kitchens to its repertoire. The global franchising company has acquired a number of major restaurant brands, including Fatburger, Buffalo's Express, and Yalla Mediterranean. And, in a unique spin on the ghost kitchen concept, some of those brands might be seeing their menu items available for delivery via other brick-and-mortar restaurants owned by the conglomerate.
Ghost kitchens represent a low risk delivery option for budding entrepreneurs and restaurants. For those looking to start a business in high-rent places like New York City, ghost kitchens save hundreds of thousands of dollars in square footage alone.
Updating and expanding a menu is also an easier and more lucrative process. Peter Schatzberg, the founder of virtual kitchen Green Summit, notes that for a traditional restaurant, it can cost over $800,000 to try a new menu. For Green Summit, if a menu fails to gain traction, the company only loses about $25,000.
According to Andy Wiederhorn, the president and CEO of FAT Brands, the company simply wants to do what is best for customers. "We want to take the opportunity to offer our brands everywhere we can," says Wiederhorn. "We don't necessarily have to have a brick-and-mortar location."
Just last month, FAT Brands acquired fast casual chain Elevation Burger for $10 million. Elevation Burger currently maintains over 50 locations worldwide. Later this year, FAT Brands intends to offer a modified Elevation Burger menu out of select sister brand restaurants for delivery purposes only. According to Wiederhorn, the move would ideally provide a supplementary revenue source for franchise partners.
"It doesn't grow unit count, it grows total sales per franchisee," adds Wiederhorn. "Our entire focus is on the success of our franchisees."
FAT Brands has already implemented a similar co-branding strategy for its Fatburger and Buffalo's Express brands. Over 100 of Fatburger and Buffalo's Express restaurants are placed in the same location, uniting the two brands under one roof and driving up the average unit volume by 20 to 30 percent.
FAT Brands is also looking to experiment with adding a few plant-based and vegan Fatburger items to the Elevation Burger menu. Elevation Burger already prioritizes organic and sustainable meat, so FAT Brands is hoping current customers will be interested in trying plant-based options. And according to Wiederhorn, Tyson's plant-based nuggets—courtesy of its Raised & Rooted brand—may also be on the menu.
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July 06, 2019 / Allison Lamberth/
Food Delivery, Food Trends, Menu Trends, Video, The Barron Report
Ghost Kitchens, Virtual Kitchens, FAT Brands, Fatburger, Andy Wiederhorn, Elevation Burger, Plant-Based, Original
Allison Lamberth
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