Want to grow your restaurant revenue without the cost and hassle of opening a new location? Running a virtual brand in your existing kitchen could be the answer.

A virtual brand is a delivery-only business with no physical storefront, operating from an established restaurant.  For example, if you already run a Mexican restaurant, you could also offer a delivery-only breakfast burrito brand. When matched properly, a virtual brand won’t interfere with your current business, it can actually strengthen it by making the most of your downtime, ingredients, and staff.

Future Foods helps restaurant operators find a virtual brand that fits seamlessly into their current setup, performs well on delivery apps, and resonates with customers. The right match can boost profits and make your kitchen work harder for you.

1. Match Cuisine and Ingredients

A virtual brand that complements your existing menu can help in two crucial ways: by saving money on ingredients and by integrating seamlessly into your existing operations.

Leverage existing ingredients: If your brick-and-mortar already stocks most of what a brand requires, you reduce food costs and prep time.

Differentiate your listings: A virtual brand should expand your offerings without overlapping too much with your main menu.

For example, if you run an Italian pizzeria, Brooklyn Calzones could be a strong fit since you already have the cheese, dough, and oven, but the menu and listing are different enough to attract new customers. Already serving calzones? Consider tapping into a new cuisine, like our Italian brand, Pasta Glory, duplicate brands won’t drive additional orders, and delivery apps look for clear differentiation.

Featured Brand Spotlight: Brooklyn Calzones

Brooklyn Calzones has become a popular delivery choice, bringing in over 600,000 orders. The menu ranges from classics like pepperoni and cheese to heartier options with sausage or BBQ chicken, appealing to a wide range of customers. It’s an easy fit for pizzerias looking to expand their dinner menu without major operational changes.

Cuisine Examples by Category:

American Comfort:

• Breakfast Beauties: A morning staple with standout breakfast sandwiches, featuring favorites like bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches
• Brekkie Bagels: Simple breakfast bagel sandwiches, ranging from classic egg and cheese to pizza bagels and cucumber salads
• Salads Here: Perfect for capturing the growing demand for healthy delivery options with favorites like Kale Caesar, Cobb, and Buffalo Chicken salads

Italian:

• Pasta Glory: A top choice for customers seeking convenient, comforting meals, featuring timeless pastas like Fettuccine Alfredo and Penne Alla Vodka
• Brooklyn Calzones: Savory, stuffed calzones, with build-your-own options and classic sides like garlic knots and mozzarella sticks.

Tex-Mex & Mexican:

• Sunny & Fine's: Simple breakfast burrito menu focused on comfort and reliability with bacon, sausage, and build-your-own options
• Daydream Breakfast Burritos: Burritos packed with fluffy eggs and an array of fillings including carne asada, bacon, peppers, and breakfast potatoes
• Birria Hands: Bold flavors covering every Mexican craving with chicken birria tacos, cheese quesadillas, and birria fries

Mediterranean:

• Mediterranea Rice Bowls: Simple, high-quality ingredients delivering feel-good meals with chicken shawarma, kebab bowls, and combo options
• Saint Pita: Mediterranean-inspired pita wraps with bold flavors from savory proteins to tangy tzatziki, featuring chicken gyro, beef & lamb gyro, and falafel pitas

2. Consider Your Kitchen Equipment

Your available equipment can determine which brands are realistic to execute. 

Brands by equipment:

• Stovetop: Pasta Glory, Mediterranea Rice Bowls
• Flattop Grill: Sunny & Fine's, Breakfast Beauties, Brekkie Bagels, Daydream Breakfast Burritos
• Oven: Brooklyn Calzones, Blue Earth Indian
• Microwave: Luv Que – a fully turnkey BBQ brand that just needs to be heated, sliced, and served

Featured Brand Spotlight: Luv Que

Luv Que offers an easy BBQ solution using proprietary, fresh-frozen products crafted from recipes perfected by Chef Essi, an award-winning BBQ master with 20 years of experience. This turnkey solution requires minimal equipment and delivers authentic BBQ flavors without the need for a pit or extensive preparation.

Matching brands to your equipment ensures smooth operations without the need for major kitchen upgrades.

3. Fill Gaps in Your Day

One of the biggest benefits of virtual brands is the ability to generate revenue during your slower hours.

Are you busy at dinner, slow at lunch? Add a breakfast or lunch-focused brand like Brekkie Bagels or Salads Here to capture morning and midday orders.

Are you looking to increase evening sales? Consider more staple options like Brooklyn Calzones or Pasta Glory to maximize dinner traffic.

Strategically filling daypart gaps can turn downtime into profit.

4. Align With Your Target Audience

Knowing what your local market wants can significantly increase your virtual brand’s performance. Match the right cuisine to your area's demographics and habits and increase your odds of success.

Examples:

• College towns: Pasta Glory, Brooklyn Calzones, Sunny & Fine's, Brekkie Bagels – affordable comfort foods and late-night options that appeal to student budgets and schedules
• Cities: Sunny & Fine's, Brekkie Bagels, Breakfast Beauties – quick, convenient grab-and-go options for busy urban professionals
• Office-heavy areas: Salads Here, Sunny & Fine's, Mediterranea Rice Bowls – healthy lunch options that travel well and are easy choices for desk dining
• Family neighborhoods: Pasta Glory,  Brooklyn Calzones, Daydream Breakfast Burritos – familiar comfort foods that satisfy both parents and kids
• Health-conscious areas: Salads Here, Mediterranea Rice Bowls – fresh, nutritious options that align with wellness-focused lifestyles

Understanding your audience helps you select a brand that resonates with local customers and drives repeat orders.

5. Match the Brand to Your Team’s Capacity

A virtual brand should fit seamlessly into your existing operations, not overload your staff. The right choice depends on your current workflow and available resources.

If your team is already at full capacity, a low-lift brand with minimal prep is the way to go:

• Brekkie Bagels: Simple breakfast builds using bagels and basic spreads
  
  
• Luv Que: Fully turnkey BBQ menu with fresh-frozen proprietary products

If you can take on a few extra prep steps, look for a streamlined menu that adds variety without slowing things down:

• Sunny & Fine’s: Breakfast burritos with easy-to-follow builds
  
  
• Salads Here: Fresh, simple salad preparation for health-conscious customers

If you have the staff, equipment, and skills for more detailed prep, a specialty-focused menu can help you stand out:

• Birria Hands: Flavor-packed, specialty-focused Mexican menu

The best option is the one that complements your team’s strengths and keeps operations running smoothly.

Bring a New Brand to Your Kitchen

Finding the right virtual brand is all about matching cuisine and ingredients, assessing your equipment, filling gaps, understanding your market, and aligning with your team’s capacity. We can help you select a brand that strengthens your business rather than stretching it. Whether you want a low-lift option that fits neatly into your existing workflow or a more specialized menu to capture a niche, the goal is the same, turn unused potential in your kitchen into consistent, profitable orders.

The Future Foods Advantage

Each of our virtual brands include a tested menu, proven marketing strategy, and clear operational guide so you can launch quickly and start generating orders.

With over 11 million orders placed across our portfolio, we know what works on delivery apps and how to position an online brand for success. Our team handles menu setup, marketing support, and delivery platform integration, so you can focus on running your kitchen while we help bring in more orders. Partnering with Future Foods means tapping into a system built to boost your revenue with minimal disruption to your day-to-day operations.

Ready to get started? Fill out our form to connect with our team and explore how a virtual brand could boost your restaurant’s revenue.

Curious about the potential? Use our online revenue calculator to see your estimated additional earnings in just a few steps.

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