Rich Products Corporation, a privately held multinational food products brand based in Buffalo, New York, partnered with Nextbite to launch a trio of virtual restaurant brands and is using its headquarters as a ghost kitchen facility to house them.

With some crossover to existing Nextbite virtual restaurants, the new brands are Grilled Cheese Society, Monster Mac and The Big Melt, with more slated to launch in the coming months. Rich’s says it will use the research and knowledge that resulted from the partnership to help other restaurant operators create and start their own ghost kitchens or virtual restaurant brands. 

From how-to guides on building a virtual brand menu, to tips and tricks for creating an impactful brand and choosing the right packaging, Rich’s added that it is committed to growing its knowledge and sharing findings with operators that are looking for ways to increase revenue. 

“Virtual restaurants and delivery-only concepts are a huge part of the industry innovation wave sparked by the pandemic,” said Kevin Spratt, senior vice president, group business channels at Rich Products. “Rich’s collaboration with Nextbite puts us at the leading edge of this emerging trend, enabling us to gain key learnings to help our customers solve major business challenges, navigate the post-pandemic recovery and test the future of foodservice.”

Available through Grubhub and DoorDash in greater Buffalo, N.Y., menu highlights from Rich’s three new virtual restaurants include:

  •       Grilled Cheese Society: Signature takes on a favorite comfort food range from The Special (chorizo, queso fresco, pepper jack cheese, roasted jalapeños and red pepper mix and Society Sauce) to The Thursday with roasted turkey, bacon, muenster cheese, blue cheese crumbles, avocado spread and Society Sauce.
  •       Monster Mac: Classic mac and cheese topped with everything from spicy grilled buffalo chicken breast with blue cheese crumbles and green onions (Buffalo Mac) to Mexican street corn, queso fresco, roasted peppers and cilantro (Street Mac).
  •       The Big Melt: Patty melts from the Ha, Classic, featuring pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and Awesome Sauce, to That’s the Way the Blue Cheese Crumbles, with Cajun seasoning, blue cheese crumbles and Sriracha ranch dressing.