There used to be a Burger King at 50 W. Flagler St. in downtown Miami. Now, there’s a Burger King, a Popeyes and five other restaurants.
Last week, the burger chain’s owner, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), opened a digital-first food hall on the site of the former restaurant. KYLO Food Hall features three RBI-owned brands—BK, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs—alongside popular local concepts Spris Artisan Pizza, Ms. Cheezious and Sergio’s Cuban American Kitchen. For dessert, there’s Jeni’s Ice Cream.
Customers of KYLO (which stands for Kitchens You Love) can order from all seven of its concepts in a single transaction using KYLO’s app or third-party delivery apps. There are also kiosks for on-site ordering, but guests will have to eat there food elsewhere as there is no seating.
By packaging multiple restaurants together, KYLO aims to give guests more variety and flexibility in how they order.
“We saw an opportunity to create a digital-first, multibrand concept to better meet these needs,” said Luis Maia, RBI’s VP of dark kitchens and virtual brands, in a statement. “Our mission at KYLO is to make it easier for people to eat what they love, where and when they want.”
Customers can order online, on an app or at kiosks in the store. / Photograph courtesy of KYLO Food Hall
For Toronto-based RBI, the food hall opens up multiple revenue streams in a location that formerly had just one. It’s an innovative idea from such a large restaurant company, but it makes sense. RBI owns multiple brands; at KYLO, they can all live together under one roof. Adding local concepts, meanwhile, fills in gaps in RBI’s portfolio with pizza, ice cream and empanadas.
Inspire Brands, the owner of Dunkin’, Buffalo Wild Wings and more, pioneered this strategy among multibrand restaurant companies with its Alliance Kitchen in Atlanta. Opened last November, the ghost kitchen offers five of Inspire’s seven brands for delivery and takeout. Chick-fil-A is doing something similar with its Little Blue Menu ghost kitchen.
Inspire CEO Paul Brown said last year that multibrand companies like Inspire have the potential for greater labor efficiencies over time as digital ordering grows.
It was unclear whether RBI runs KYLO by itself or in partnership with the local brands. A representative of the company said only that "KYLO Food Hall brings together customer-favorite national and local restaurants under one roof to create a new menu offering and dining experience."
All seven brands are apparently prepared in a single kitchen with some built-in separation "to ensure all procedures are followed," the representative said.
Whatever the arrangement, the company is going full-steam ahead with the concept: Additional Miami locations are planned over the next 12 months, including one slated to open soon in the suburb of Kendall.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include additional information and to correct KYLO's address, opening date and number of concepts.
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