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Sam Nazarian acquires Kitchen United’s IP, ghost kitchen assetsSam Nazarian acquires Kitchen United’s IP, ghost kitchen assets

The founder of SBE and C3 combines restaurant companies to form new Everybody Eats

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

March 14, 2024

2 Min Read
Everybody Eats Logo
Sam Nazarian has formed a new company, Everybody Eats, combining Kitchen United, SBE, his C3, and Nextbite, which he purchased last June.

Sam Nazarian, CEO and founder of SBE and C3, announced on Thursday that he had acquired virtual restaurant company Kitchen United's IP and assets related to its ghost kitchens. Nazarian has now formed a new company, Everybody Eats, combining Kitchen United, SBE, C3, and Nextbite, which he purchased last June.

A press release described Everybody Eats as “a CPG and culinary brands company connecting new audiences through food brands in exclusive arrangements.” Nazarian plans to help people build and scale quick service and consumer packaged goods companies through Everybody Eats’ various platforms. Investors include Alamar Saudi Arabia and Grupo Herdez.

“I cannot begin to describe the excitement I have in announcing Everybody Eats, our new company built upon C3 and the acquisitions of Kitchen United assets and Nextbite,” Nazarian said in a release. “Since starting C3 in 2019, I have been watching other industry leaders such as Nextbite and Kitchen United in their journeys to change the virtual culinary industry. These companies have had incredible ideas and unbelievable instincts but just not enough capital to ultimately disrupt the market. Everybody Eats is the solution; we have created an all-encompassing platform built upon the ideas of the three best though-leaders in the industry.”

Related:Nextbite acquired by SBE Hospitality Group CEO Sam Nazarian

Everybody Eats will be led by Nazarian and chief operating officer Geoff Madding, formerly Nextbite chief growth officer.  

“I am incredibly excited to join the Everybody Eats team, continuing the journey I began during my time at Nextbite, to disrupt, innovate, and ultimately, help evolve the culinary industry,” Madding said in a statement. “With Sam Nazarian’s vision and our team’s dedication, I have no doubt that we will leverage the amazing work done by C3, Kitchen United, and Nextbite over the past several years to create the leading company in the disruptive culinary space.”

Kitchen United was founded in 2017 as a ghost kitchen operator; with the sale of those assets to Nazarian, the company will pivot to a software business.

Nextbite, a virtual restaurant operator, was founded in 2020 by Alex Canter.

In January, musician Marc Anthony became an equity partner in SBE, making it the first hospitality venture for Anthony’s entertainment company, Magnus. SBE is also partnering with actress Sofia Vergara and her son, Manolo Vergara, on a brand called TOMA.

Eventually, Everybody Eats intends to expand to industries including supermarkets, convenience, casual dining, hotels, and more.

Contact Leigh Anne Zinsmeister at [email protected]

About the Author

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Managing Editor

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director.  Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.

Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. 

Email Leigh Anne at [email protected] 

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: 

  • Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)

  • Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)

  • Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)

  • Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)

  • Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)

  • Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)

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