Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) is proving that it has moved past last year’s MrBeast imbroglio.
Its latest win is a collaboration with Great American Cookies, a Fat Brands-owned cookie chain. Under a partnership agreement, VDC will operate the Great American Cookies virtual brand, while Fat Brands will support the chain’s brick-and-mortar shops. VDC will make the cookies available as a delivery option at Chuck E. Cheese’s 470 restaurants.
Customers can order the cookies via third-party delivery apps either individually or in packs of up to 50. The cookies will arrive baked and frozen from a Fat Brands production facility; employees will thaw them before fulfilling the orders.
“We are delighted to add Great American Cookies to our extensive family of virtual brands,” Robbie Earl, the president and co-founder of VDC, said in a statement. “It’s been an incredible opportunity to integrate a beloved brand with an extensive physical presence into our roster. By leveraging our virtual delivery expertise, we want to elevate Great American Cookies and enhance revenue streams for our partner restaurants, both in-store and via delivery.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Virtual Dining Concepts to introduce the iconic dessert brand, Great American Cookies, to guests nationwide,” said David McKillips, president and CEO of CEC Entertainment – parent company of Chuck E. Cheese. “It’s always exciting for our team when a collaboration aligns with our commitment to providing great food and experiences for families.”
For VDC, the addition of Great American Cookies is part of its strategy to grow its portfolio with existing delivery-focused concepts, such as Man vs. Fries and Empanadas United, both of which it acquired in the past year. And it made news last year with a partnership with IHOP.
VCD has come a long way from its early days when it built offerings on top of the tech stacks of its partners, which created paint points. Today it’s much more inclined to partner with brands such as Chuck E. Cheese, which has sophisticated brick-and-mortar infrastructure.
“We’re making a foray into physical sites to amplify the network we have and what we do on the virtual side,” Earl told us in an interview in 2024. Expect more of that from VDC going forward.
