Virtual Restaurant Group: A New Look for Restaurant Growth

Understanding the intricacies of expanding a restaurant brand today is almost impossible. Simply trying to stay afloat is a too tough for many chain restaurant operators.  There is one company that wants to fill the gap left by those stifled with an outdated business model according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  That company is The Absolute Brands.

This new restaurant group is comprised of Dog Haus and eight unique concepts. Each new brand will operate at virtual kitchen locations, which are delivery-only, and will offer delicious new items that are off-shoots of Dog Haus’ signature menu.

In response to the impact that mandatory closures have had on restaurants across the nation, several brick-and-mortar Dog Haus locations will serve three of these concepts for pick-up and delivery only in the coming weeks:

Bad Mutha Clucka—Crispy or Nashville Hot? No matter the style, the unforgettable taste of Bad Mutha Clucka’s chef-driven chicken sandwiches, and crave-able wings—made with 100 percent all-natural, vegetarian fed and antibiotic-free chicken—topped with the best ingredients possible and served on grilled King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls, as well as some delicious sides, will have you crowing for more. Plus, you can order the Karaage Kid—inspired by Japanese karaage chicken. This is Dog Haus’ best-selling limited-time item of all time.

Plant B—Plant B makes going beyond meat easy with great tasting, sustainable plant-based proteins, premium toppings and delicious sides. It’s impossible not to like Plant B’s chef-driven burger and sausage creations that make animal meat green with envy. Plant to eat one today.

Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos—Get a dropkick to the face any time of day with a bad-ass breakfast burrito. Whether you have some early-morning cravings or late-night munchies, you can chow down on expertly rolled soft flour tortilla burritos, filled with premium meats ranging from bacon and pastrami to gourmet sausages with crispy potatoes, cheese and perfectly cooked eggs. Pair that with our addicting sauces and you’ve got yourself a bad-ass meal.

To add to the excitement, The Absolute Brands is providing fans with an all-new burger concept at virtual kitchen locations:

Freiburger—Want bigger, better burgers made with perfectly cooked patties and premium ingredients? Freiburger does it right. It uses certified humanely raised, vegetarian fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free 100 percent genetically tested Black Angus beef from Creekstone Farms. Then we top it with the best ingredients available, and serve it up to you on grilled King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. And if meat isn’t your thing, Freiburger offers plant-based patties from Impossible Foods.

The Absolute Brands will soon announce the remaining four brands—its new breakfast, salad, pastrami and quesadilla concepts. In addition to the new brands, The Absolute Brands will introduce pop-up concepts for seasonal happenings and chef collaborations.

Dog Haus Partner Hagop Giragossian stated “At Dog Haus, we are unlocking the box on what you can do within the typical four walls of a restaurant,” … “We believe it is extremely important to capitalize on delivery by maximizing the use of virtual kitchen spaces. We also believe in the positive direction virtual kitchens are headed and see a bright future in this space as we launch these new concepts where we can test popular items. Ultimately, our end goal with virtual kitchens is to reach wider audiences with our acclaimed, innovative menu items.” Is it time to evolve your business model?

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Better for you Hot Dogs at Dog Haus

Today driving growth at chain restaurants, convenience stores, and dollar store, is increasingly dependent on selling plant based food according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®

Dog Haus the gourmet hot dog, sausage and burger concept, will launch custom plant-based sausages and burgers, expanding their offerings to meet every guests’ needs and tastes. With the help of plant-based powerhouses - Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat - four new menu items will be available at all 30+ Dog Haus locations nationwide, enticing vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Partnerships drive sales in foodservice today as your brand is searching for the new electricity to help drive the brand forward according to Johnson.

So, just what is your brands new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

Foodservice retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Dog Haus was conceptualized by founding partner Hagop Giragossian, along with Würstmacher Adam Gertler and chef Ilan Hall, menu items will include the Impossible Burger with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, white American cheese and secret sauce, and Impossible Slider with mayo, white American cheese and caramelized onions, in addition to the Beyond Brat with Beyond Sausage bratwurst, sauerkraut, caramelized onions and spicy brown mustard, and the Sooo Veggie with Beyond Sausage hot Italian, wild arugula, avocado, tomato, crispy onions and spicy basil aioli – all served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls. 

“We have always offered vegetarian-friendly options to ensure there is something for everyone at Dog Haus, but we knew we could take these offerings to a new level, especially in the context of today’s plant-based market,” says Hagop Giragossian, Dog Haus partner. “With our Impossible burger and slider, and Beyond sausages, even our most loyal meat eaters will think it’s the real deal.”

With these new plant-based menu items, Dog Haus stays true to its roots, using products that offer a juicy taste that looks, cooks and satisfies like meat. The Impossible burger and Beyond sausage act as the base to the vibrant and equally delicious flavor combinations Dog Haus is known for. Incorporating more plant-based dishes also speaks to Dog Haus’ overall mission of sustainably feeding everyone who walks through their doors, sourcing proteins that are of superior quality and ultimately better for the consumer.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Dog Haus is Positioned to Win

Regular readers of this blog know companies that win are doing the right thing at the right time.  According to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Dog Haus has found the new electricity to fuel its growth by looking outside it four walls in strategic partnerships.

From time to time brands need to regain their swag, their mojo, their energy and our own Grocerant Guru® believes that in 2018 the best way to do that is too leverage branded strategic partnerships. If there is there is one dominate element that can power incremental success within the restaurant sector over the coming years it is what Johnson calls it the new electricity that is strategic partnerships.   

The new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as regional fresh foods, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), local wine, and local beer, autonomous delivery, consultants, chefs, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing and outside-eyes.

Food companies the ilk of chain restaurants that want to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

So when Dog Haus, the critically acclaimed gourmet hot dog, sausage and burger concept, announced Stephanie Izard as the newest chef to join the year-long collaboration series in partnership with No Kid Hungry. For the series, Dog Haus has enlisted eight nationally celebrated chefs representing regions of the country in which Dog Haus has locations, each of whom is creating limited time menu items to be served at all Dog Haus locations every two months throughout 2018.

“We are so excited to continue our year-long charity chef series with Stephanie Izard, a chef that is so well respected in the food community,” says Hagop Giragossian, Dog Haus Partner. “As we set our sights on our first Chicago Dog Haus opening, it was a no brainer to bring one of the best chefs in the area on board to create this charity sausage. She has fully embraced the creativity and unique flavor combinations we bring to the Dog Haus menu in order to create her special item, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone beginning March 1.”

This series allows Dog Haus to share the unique flavors and styles of some of the country’s greatest living chefs, many of whom our guests have developed a relationship with through TV and the internet, but whose food they’ve never had a chance to eat.  Among her many accolades, Stephanie is an Iron Chef, recipient of the James Beard: Best Chef Great Lakes award, was named Food & Wine’s Best New Chef in 2011 and was the first-ever female winner of Top Chef, for which she also was voted ‘Fan Favorite.’

Each chef will work closely with the Dog Haus culinary team to craft a menu item available for two months at a time. $1 of the purchase price from each of these items will be donated to No Kid Hungry. Dog Haus’ 2018 goal is to raise $100,000 for the organization.  To help raise additional funds for No Kid Hungry, Dog Haus will be adding a round up for charity line on each check, allowing guests the option to round up their bill to the nearest dollar through the end of the year.  Where is your New Eletricity coming from?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant