Chef Eric Greenspan is the bold personality best known for a spate of Los Angeles restaurants — Roof on Wilshire, multiple locations of Maré and The Foundry, to name a few — and for defeating Bobby Flay in an “Iron Chef America” throw-down.
More recently, Greenspan has thrown down brick-and-mortar restaurant operations in favor of Alt/Grub/Faction, his delivery-only virtual food court that allows customers to order from four different concepts in one delivery order.
Launched in early 2018, Alt/Grub/Faction offers delivery-only orders featuring food from the menus of Bubu’s Birds & Burgers, Brekkie, Chino, and 2 On a Roll, that are prepared by a single team out of a ghost kitchen.
Not only has Greenspan’s multiconcept operation nixed the idea of the delivery veto vote — where groups don’t order because they can’t decide on the same cuisine — but he’s also found a way, through diligent research and development, to optimize the menu items for delivery, a major challenge for operators as the demand for off-premise service continues to grow.
Instead of avoiding foods that typically don't travel well (think French Fries or fried anything, really), Greenspan has implemented recipe adaptations that ensure, for example, the coating for the signature Orange Chicken Burrito from Chino is super crispy upon arrival; the buns on the burgers from Bubu’s aren’t soggy; and the eggs on the breakfast wraps from Brekkie arrive perfectly cooked.
Greenspan’s new delivery-only venture also has the benefit of eliminating a lot of the headaches and high costs of owning brick-and-mortar restaurants —everything from negotiating leases and training front-of the-house staff, to the need to drive between multiple restaurants.
