How Companies are Changing the Delivery Game
Photos credited below
COVID-19 has caused a major shift in the way we live, which undoubtedly includes the way we dine. Many hospitality groups have put their upcoming hotels, bars, and restaurant openings on hold and have shifted to a new business model: ghost kitchen. The team at SBE is no stranger to opening new restaurants (with popular hot spots like Umami, Katsuya, and Cleo under their belt), but what happens when they can no longer open those restaurants? Well– they’ve adopted this ghost kitchen concept and switched to delivery-only-business models that operate across LA to keep the restaurant industry fresh and current. These three new ghost kitchens – Plant Nation, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, and Krispy Rice – have taken over dining rooms and instagram feeds for the past few months.
So how do these “ghost kitchens” work? Well, they’ve been around for a while now, and have risen in popularity alongside delivery apps like Grubhub, Postmates, and UberEats. They have no physical location for diners to visit, and operate out of either rented kitchen space, or existing kitchens under the same parent group. Ghost kitchens could be the idea-child of excess ingredients and a market for easy, deliverable meals, or could be an entirely new brand designed specifically for delivery.
Chef Eric Greenspan developed a “virtual food court” in 2018 featuring 4 different brands that all corner a specific market and utilize out-of-work kitchens. While currently unavailable, his concept was just the beginning of a new way of developing restaurants. He saw that there were few delivery options for breakfast food, and he filled that gap with his breakfast burrito concept, and deli-style breakfast sandwich delivery.
Roaming Hunger says that working with delivery systems can increase sales by 20%, and that while deliveries used to only account for about 10% of sales, they now make up about 30% of sales. Now that number is higher since dining rooms have been closed since March, and companies are doing all they can to keep up.
SBE was quick to create three new concepts that target different sides of the delivery market in new and exciting ways. Sure, you can go through a Chik-fil-a drive thru, OR you could DoorDash Sam’s Crispy Chicken, which comes in perfect packaging, insta and mouth ready. Craving that Sugarfish experience but your wallet isn’t? Then order Krispy Rice and get the perfect combo of spicy-tuna-crispy-rice, crab handrolls, nigiri, and edamame in a neat box with perfectly labeled sauces. Their third venture, Plant Nation, features plant-based favorites with everything from pizzas, to vegan burgers, to classic hearty bowls. You can order from each of these new to-go concepts through Caviar, DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, or Postmates, so you really have no excuse not to try them! Below is more information on each of SBE’s newest restaurants.
Photo courtesy of Trend Hunter
Photo courtesy of Sam’s Crispy ChickenKrispy Rice
Photo courtesy of Krispy Rice
SBE created the restaurant, Katsuya, a fancy sushi restaurant. Many love going there, but it is quite expensive. So, SBE decided to create Krispy Rice, which is convenient and affordable. Krispy Rice was inspired by Katsuya’s famous spicy tuna on crispy rice appetizer. It serves that dish along with others that are similar like the King Salmon and Yuzu Krispy Rice. It also offers classic sushi like tuna nigiri and various hand rolls. This is probably SBE’s most popular to-go restaurant at the moment. It is delicious, easy, and even comes in super cute packaging! We highly suggest ordering Krispy Rice for its unique style, affordability, and delicious sushi!
We hope you enjoy SBE’s delicious new restaurants as much as we do!
Xx,
Your Riad Family