Dive Brief:
- Woworks is launching a prototype called Wow Kitchens within a Cloud Kitchens facility in San Francisco, the company said in a press release Tuesday.
- The ghost kitchen platform, which will debut through a partnership with a local franchisee, will offer a selection of menu items from Woworks’ six fast casual brands and seven of its virtual concepts.
- This development news comes just a few weeks after Woworks added seven virtual brands across its system.
Dive Insight:
Woworks said it expects Wow Kitchens to provide additional opportunities for franchisees while helping attract new operators interested in shared kitchen concepts. To help make this prototype successful, the company did an extensive analysis of its best-selling items and identified ideal ingredients that could be used across its six fast casual and seven virtual brands. The company also streamlined operations by “consolidating and cross utilizing the equipment package.”
"Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, WOW Kitchens foregoes seating areas, resulting in significantly lower overhead costs," said Kelly Roddy, CEO of Woworks. "By requiring less kitchen equipment and minimizing back-of-the-house expenses, the concept provides potential franchise candidates with a highly attractive and cost-effective concept. Cloud Kitchens and Kitchen United, renowned leaders in leasing and sharing kitchen spaces, will provide the ideal platform for hosting WOW Kitchens."
Roddy said having multiple brands within a virtual kitchen setup will help franchisees scale operations, increase profitability and have lower overhead costs. Menu items will be available for pickup and delivery. Woworks also partnered with Otter to provide a single, user-friendly digital ordering platform for operators.
Woworks is one of the largest restaurant companies that has been doubling down on virtual brands and shared kitchens lately. In 2021, its Saladworks brand opened 90 ghost kitchen locations in the U.S. and Canada and partnered with Combo Kitchen. Several other chains, including Applebee’s, Brinker International and Red Robin, have pulled back on virtual brands to focus more on in-store menus and improving customer service.
