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Meet the newest virtual restaurant brands from Dog Haus, Dickey’s and new indies joining the market shareMeet the newest virtual restaurant brands from Dog Haus, Dickey’s and new indies joining the market share

Chains and indies alike are continuing to turn to delivery-only concepts that require no brick-and-mortar space for additional revenue

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

May 11, 2021

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Virtual brands continue their market domination as new ones continue to open amid the restaurant labor crisis and coronavirus pandemic. From offshoots of big brands like Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and Dog Haus to brand-new restaurants and food halls featuring concepts that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible, the industry continues to see new concepts on a near-daily basis.

Some virtual brands have turned to celebrities to separate them from the pack. NextBite, which has become known for its celebrity-fueled virtual brands, announced a new partnership with comedian George Lopez. MrBeast Burger (which shattered records in its first day and crashed the website) has added celebrity-specific menu items like the Dream burger.

Others, like the new virtual brands from Dickey’s and Dog Haus, have taken a chain’s most popular menu items and built to-go menus around them, with the goal of giving franchisees more options.

Denny’s new virtual brand The Burger Den is now available at 1,100 of the chain’s locations, and the company’s The Melt Down is being rolled out, so this trend shows no sign of slowing down. 

Meet some of the new virtual brands from fledgling indies and established chains adding a new revenue stream.

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Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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