SBE Hospitality Group and virtual brand platform C3’s founder and CEO Sam Nazarian has acquired Nextbite, just days after Nation’s Restaurant News reported that Nextbite’s order management arm, Ordermark, had been sold off to Indian software company UrbanPiper. Nextbite and its virtual brands —which includes both original and licensed brands such as Packed Bowls by Wiz Khalifa, Shawarmama, Nestle Toll House Cookies, IHOP, Super Mega Dilla, Thrilled Cheese, Fuku, George Lopez Tacos, and Nathan’s Famous — will live on under the ownership of its former competitor as Nextbite by SBE, but will operate separately from C3’s own virtual brands, which include Umami Burger, Krispy Rice, and Sam's Crispy Chicken. Leadership will pass from CEO Alex Canter — who founded Nextbite in 2020 after merging the then-flourishing virtual restaurant company with technology platform Ordermark — to Nazarian, and operations will be relocated to C3’s headquarters in Miami. According to Food on Demand, a “suite” of former Nextbite executives will stay on board with the company under new ownership.
