Walmart grows roster of fast-casual, in-store dining partners

Dive Brief:

Walmart will open fast-casual dining experiences in partnership with Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ at select stores nationwide, according to a Wednesday press release.
The retailer will house the chain’s Crave Express Model, which offers signature hot dogs and barbeque dishes. The menu items at the in-store locations will also be available on third-party services such as Grubhub and DoorDash.
Walmart has entered numerous partnerships to bolster its in-store restaurant experience at a time when more grocers are leaning into foodservice to attract customers.

Dive Insight:

As Walmart continues to build out its in-store restaurant and made-to-order offerings, the retailer has teamed up with restaurant and fast-casual chains to offer up everything from hot dogs to poke bowls.

The small-format Crave restaurant inside the Walmart stores will connect with the Crave app, allowing customers to order ahead and providing access to “secret menu items” and exclusive deals, according to the announcement. New app users will also receive a 10% discount on their first purchase.

The Walmart Crave restaurants will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and the menu will include hot dogs, barbeque sandwiches, sliders, bowls and desserts, per the press release.

For Crave, this partnership with Walmart is the next step as it continues to grow its brick-and-mortar presence and number of food trucks, the press release noted.

Walmart did not respond by press time when asked how many of its locations would house Crave’s Express Model or when the first restaurant would open. The brand has “a handful” of units currently in development and plans to expand to more than 100 units next year, according to the press release.

In July, restaurant chain Mr. Gatti’s Pizza announced plans to open 92 corporate-owned units inside Walmart stores across four states, starting with opening a dozen units during Walmart’s fourth quarter.

Select Walmart stores also have poke restaurants in partnership with Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar, a partnership they expanded at the end of last year. Wetzel’s Pretzels has also opened units inside the retailer.