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Location: Southern California (Los Angeles, Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Glendale, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, San Diego); Northern California (San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Santa Clara, Rancho Cordova); New York City; Miami; Chicago; Seattle; Minneapolis; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Tempe, Ariz.
Operated by: C3
Facility: Ghost kitchen
Delivery: All major delivery providers
Concept(s): The first of ten new concepts from C3, Kumi serves Japanese-inspired food with lots of nori and seaweed.
“Kumi is a testament to C3’s success in creating demand for inventive food delivery options that thoughtfully recreate the dine-in experience,” said Sam Nazarian, CEO and founder of C3, in a statement. “As consumer preferences continue to evolve, our omnichannel approach to launching memorable culinary brands continues to demonstrate the value of connecting with customers in both virtual and physical spaces.”
Menu: Menu highlights include ikura nori tacos, sesame tuna temaki, chuka seaweed salad, chirashi bowls and plant-based truffle avocado onigiri. Bento boxes feature flavorful samplers of tamaki, onigiri, nori tacos and rolls and take decidedly playful names such as the “Stay Calm, Kumi” box.
Price: Combos are between $25 and $50, individual tacos are $8 to $9.50 and rolls range from $8 to $16.
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Operated by: Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Facility: Snooze kitchens
Delivery: DoorDash
Concept(s): A to-go version of the traditional Snooze menu, but available in a more compact version for customers who are on the move.
Menu: Dishes range from Bacon, Egg & Cheeses Sandwiches to Veggie Breakfast Burritos.
Price: TBD
Location: Chicago
Operated by: Kitchen United
Facility: Ghost kitchen
Delivery: All major delivery providers
Concept(s): UK-based restaurant Camile Thai is making its stateside debut with Kitchen United in Chicago.
“Kitchen United is constantly evaluating new and innovative ways to support our restaurant partners, and working with Camile Thai to present licensing opportunities to operators within our kitchen centers looking to establish a delivery-only business, or build a new segment of their existing portfolio is a perfect illustration of that,” said Atul Sood, chief business officer of Kitchen United, in a statement. “While a lot of new trends and short-lived concepts have emerged in the last year amid the rise in popularity of ghost kitchens, Camile Thai offers long-term opportunity and value for operators looking to grow via a licensed model. Based on our partnership with dozens of operators and Camile Thai’s proven experience, we are well-positioned to grow together here in the U.S.”
The healthful-focused menu is designed for people with food concerns.
Camile Thai CEO Brody Sweeney said in a statement, “We are excited to bring our concept to the U.S. and work closely with Kitchen United given its definitive leadership position in the ghost kitchen industry, along with an impressive list of existing and prospective operator partners. The rise of the on-demand economy has driven a monumental shift in traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant service. Last year saw the most significant adoption of technology in our industry’s history with volume digital food ordering and delivery at its core, and Camile Thai has been a first-mover in Europe. Additionally, we offer operator partners a flexible franchise model to position them for sustained success.”
Camile Thai has 40 international locations currently.
Menu: Health-focused Thai food including a Thai Beef Salad with a sweet chili vinaigrette, Fried Tofu & Kale Slaw Salad with miso sesame dressing and brown rice, Green Curry, which is classic Thai curry with red chili and sweet basil, and Camile Special Fried Rice, which is stir-fried with char sui pork, chicken & prawns.
Price: TBD
Location: TBD
Operated by: Virtual Dining Concepts
Facility: TBD
Delivery: All major delivery providers
Concept(s): Racing brand NASCAR is stepping into the virtual brand game with celebrity-driven virtual operator Virtual Dining Concepts, run by Robert Earl.
“In less than one year, we’ve proven our virtual dining model to be a successful source of income for our restaurant partners throughout the entire country,” said Earl, who founded Virtual Dining Concepts, in a release. “We now have the exciting opportunity for my fellow restaurateurs to serve some of the most popular dishes from one of America’s most beloved sports. We know life is better at the races, and with NASCAR Refuel, fans get to enjoy dishes from their hometown racetrack and beyond any day of the year.”
The food is inspired by some of the most iconic NASCAR track menu items, available year-round.
“Through NASCAR Refuel, fans across the country can indulge in a menu celebrating iconic dishes from each NASCAR track,” said Chip Wile, senior vice president and chief track properties officer, NASCAR, in a release. “Our favorite way to experience NASCAR is at the track with our fans, and we look forward to serving customers across the country dishes inspired by our entire track portfolio.”
Menu: Traditional racetrack food delivered to customers’ homes year-round.
Price: TBD, franchising available starting in August
Location: New York City
Operated by: DoorDash Kitchens
Facility: Nimbus, a shared kitchen space
Delivery: DoorDash
Concept(s): Combining the menus of Caracas and Tacoway, two NYC restaurants that permanently closed due to the pandemic, Caracas x Tacoway brings the two concepts together to offer arepas and tacos in one delivery order. The concepts are part of the new Reopen for Delivery initiative from third-party delivery provider DoorDash, which is trying to bring back closed restaurants across the country as virtual concepts.
Menu: De Pabellón made with shredded beef, black beans, cotija cheese, fried sweet plantains; Nuestra Reina which is avocado chicken salad with onion, cilantro, mayo; Papa Con Chorizo – Dorados which is 3 crispy fried tacos w/ potato and chorizo. Comes with shredded cabbage, salsa verde, salsa roja, pickled jalapeño, radish, lime; and Fish – Dorados which is 3 crispy fried tacos w/ fresh hake or pollock (market avail). Comes with shredded cabbage, salsa verde, salsa roja, pickled jalapeño, radish, lime.
Price: Arepas range from $10 to $11, tacos are $11 for three and sides range from $6 to $12.
Location: Western New York
Operated by: NextBite
Facility: Dolly’s world headquarters kitchen
Delivery: All major delivery providers
Concept(s): Family-owned food company Rich Products Corporation decided to enter the virtual restaurant business with the creation of three new brands.
Grilled Cheese Society: Signature takes on a favorite comfort food range from The Special (chorizo, queso fresco, pepper jack cheese, roasted jalapeños and red pepper mix and Society Sauce) to The Thursday with roasted turkey, bacon, muenster cheese, blue cheese crumbles, avocado spread and Society Sauce.
Monster Mac: Classic mac and cheese topped with everything from spicy grilled buffalo chicken breast with blue cheese crumbles and green onions (Buffalo Mac) to Mexican street corn, queso fresco, roasted peppers and cilantro (Street Mac).
The Big Melt: Patty melts from the Ha, Classic, featuring pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and Awesome Sauce, to That’s the Way the Blue Cheese Crumbles, with Cajun seasoning, blue cheese crumbles and Sriracha ranch dressing.
“Virtual restaurants and delivery-only concepts are a huge part of the industry innovation wave sparked by the pandemic,” said Kevin Spratt, senior vice president, Group Business Channels, Rich Products, in a statement. “Rich’s collaboration with NextBite puts us at the leading edge of this emerging trend, enabling us to gain key learnings to help our customers solve major business challenges, navigate the post-pandemic recovery and test the future of foodservice.”
Menu: TBD
Price: TBD
