SPECIAL:
THE GROWTH EDITION
“The hardest thing is
operational complexity. It is important to
make sure that the brand fits with your existing processes and ingredients”
the operations they already have. “A successful digital brand could be using the kitchen for different types of services nearly 24 hours a day,” explains Joseph Schumaker FCSI, founder and CEO of FoodSpace. “Many kitchens are capable of doing this because they already have all the equipment to do any functions for virtually any cuisine. A lot of caterers, especially in the corporate dining space, have been doing this exact thing and didn’t even realize it. All they’re missing is the virtual platform.”
A lower risk launchpad Virtual brands aren’t just for national chains to supercharge their growth; they also offer independents and new restaurants a lower risk way to launch. “Building a restaurant is hard, so if there were a way to come up with a brand, put it out there and test it, that would be great,” says Sandland. “That’s exactly what a virtual brand does.” Since diners will never come to the
premises, there is no need for a ghost kitchen to stand on a busy high street or within a bustling shopping mall. Instead, it can be built somewhere with cheaper real estate while you test the waters, learn your market and optimize your offering. “If you’re starting from scratch, that means your capital costs are less, your ongoing real estate costs are less and your operating costs are less,” says Schumaker.
90
Sandland predicts that this model
will provide the starting point for a new generation of restaurant entrepreneurs to launch more traditional restaurants: “I think eventually you’ll see some of these brands move back into the brick-and-mortar world, similar to what happened in direct- to-consumer retail and apparel,” she says. “For example, Harry’s Razors first launched online, and now you can buy them in Target.” The even better news is that by launching its bright idea over a third-party platform such as Uber Eats or Grubhub, a brand-new restaurant doesn’t require any of its own virtual infrastructure. Without needing to specialize in app development or digital experience optimization, an entrepreneur can get their digital brand in front of a clientele that is ready to eat and may be hungry for something new.
A portion of caution As with any growth strategy, developing a digital brand must be approached with care. “The hardest thing is operational
complexity,” says Sandland. “It is important to make sure that the brand fits with your existing processes and ingredients, to minimize the impact on your team.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132