Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), the company behind virtual restaurant brands like MrBeast Burger, may have another hit on its hands.
Man Vs Fries, a burrito and loaded fries concept, is seeing strong demand from restaurants one year after being acquired by VDC, said COO Adam Robin during an interview at the ICR conference this week.
The brand was founded by entrepreneur William Bonhorst in 2018 as a popup in a Bay Area taco shop. It gained a cult following in California for its "hella big" burritos stuffed with fries and Flamin' Hot Cheetos, which play well on social media.
Now it is catching the eye of restaurant chains like California Pizza Kitchen and On the Border that are using it to generate some extra revenue.
The restaurants fulfill Man Vs Fries orders placed through third-party delivery apps and the brand’s website. But, in a tweak to the typical virtual brand model, some are also putting items from Man Vs Fries on their in-restaurant menus. Ironically, that is where VDC is seeing the most success. “We’re so much focused on providing marketing in-house,” Robin said.
California Pizza Kitchen, for example, is offering Man Vs Fries as a secret menu, available upon request in its restaurants. It includes four burritos and Man Vs Fries’ popular fried Oreos.
The brand adds an average of more than $1,500 in revenue per store per week, Robin said, the highest mark of any of VDC’s brands. At some California Pizza Kitchens, it has reached a weekly run rate of $6,000.
Virtual brands took off during the pandemic, when restaurants were looking for ways to make up for a decline in dine-in traffic. VDC’s MrBeast Burger became one of the largest and most well-known virtual brands, with thousands of locations across the U.S. When things normalized, many operators dropped these secondary brands to focus more on their regular business.
Virtual Dining Concepts has been working to reinvigorate the idea, in part by giving virtual brands an on-premise dimension. The company has also simplified its recipes and improved its training to make the brands easier for restaurants to operate.
Even though the pandemic is over, Robin said virtual brands are still relevant for restaurants. “I think everyone is interested in additional revenue and driving traffic,” he said. “I don’t know many companies that can bring 4% to 10% revenue growth.”
Man Vs Fries is in around 300 locations today, but it is expanding quickly. Family-dining chain Friendly’s has rolled it out at 14 restaurants and will bring it to all 120 locations by the end of the quarter. And there are other partnerships in the works. All told, Man Vs Fries could reach a few thousand locations this year, Robin said.
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