In some cases, delivery-only brands have
become big businesses of their own. Brinker
International, which owns Chili’s, says It’s Just
Wings is on track to bring in $150 million in
annual sales.
Josh Phillips, the co-owner of Espita, a stylish
Mexican restaurant in Washington D.C., opened
a delivery-only brand called Ghostburger in
August to keep Espita’s kitchen running through
the winter. He chose burgers because he wanted
to reach new customers at a lower price point
than Espita. They also travel well and don’t take
much kitchen space to make.
It’s been so successful that Phillips is now
scouting for locations for stand-alone
Ghostburger restaurants. Ghostburger, which
cost Phillips only $2,000 to launch, is now
bringing in nearly $40,000 per week, or 60% of
what Espita could make in a good week.
“I don’t see a world where we can stop. We’re
more profitable today than we ever have been,”
Phillips said.
Rick Camac, the dean of restaurant and
hospitality management at the Institute of
Culinary Education in New York, thinks demand
for delivery will only grow. More restaurants
now offer it, packaging has gotten better and
delivery companies are getting faster, he said.
“Our habits have changed, and I don’t think they
are going back very easily or quickly,” he said.
Still, he said, restaurants should put some
thought into their delivery-only brands. A pizza
restaurant can’t necessarily make good burgers,
he said. And without a storefront, marketing can
also be a challenge.