A new company, offering a range of franchise food brands for virtual delivery offers or dine-in menus, has been launched by a team of food development, operations and franchising experts.
Restaurant Brands Collective is offering franchise solutions, which utilise a range of food brands, aimed at helping multi and single site hospitality and leisure businesses drive incremental sales from their existing kitchen equipment and teams.
The company’s launch has been backed by a grant award from Innovate UK, the government-backed UK innovation agency, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. It received funding, after a competitive two-part pitch process, through Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation Fund.
Restaurant Brands Collective has been co-founded by three directors who all have over 20 years’ experience working in the hospitality industry.
Brand director, Toph Ford, a former head of food and marketing at Leon Restaurants, is the company’s brand director. His CV also includes head of hospitality NPD at M&S. For the past two years he has been a food consultant, working with brands including Ole & Steen, Coco Di Mama and HOP.
Commercial partnerships director, Brett Boyers, who has worked across restaurant openings, operations and franchising at The Restaurant Group (TRG concessions), Boparan Restaurant Group and Individual Restaurant Company is the company’s commercial partnerships director. He has run franchise operations in the UK and overseas for brands including Giraffe, Harry Ramsden's and Ed's Diner.
Operations director is Stefan Cosser, who managed the creative team at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen for over five years. For the past eight years he has been a food development consultant for brands including Loungers, Brasserie Blanc, Wagamama, Parkdean Resorts and Hilton Hotels.
Ford said, “Unlike many food franchise companies, we offer our virtual delivery brand partners a portfolio of profit-driven restaurant brands to work with. We recommend our partners work with two or three brands to drive incremental sales growth, reduce potential wastage (as ingredients can cross over all brands) and improve day part penetration with breakfast and lunch focused brands too.”
The company’s range of franchise brands include gourmet mac and cheese brand Mac & Co, ‘superior fried chicken’ brand The Wingstitute and Californian-style smashed burgers and fries from its Pickled Pink brand.
Cosser said, “Our impactful virtual delivery brands stand out from the crowd and resonate with customers. They offer operators on-trend dishes, which complement their main menu focus, but open them up to a new and wider customer base.”
“We will continually evolve our portfolio to keep our brands fresh and exciting for our franchise partners and their customers. Our brands also have excellent digital presence to support partners.”
Current brand development is focused on katsu, breakfast, pizza, feel-good wellbeing foods, Mexican, desserts and sweet treats/gifting.
Restaurant Brands Collective’s franchise offers also focus on dine-in solutions, with white label menus created using dishes from across its brand portfolio. This is aimed at operators, including pubs and entertainment and leisure venues, who want their own bespoke menu but with the ongoing training and menu management support from a franchise.
A branded food menu solution is also featured, targeted at venues where food is not a core business capability, including limited service hotels, cinemas, sporting venues and casinos.
Boyers said, “With growth in the UK delivery market now accelerating even faster due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our franchise packages offer operators a low-risk, low-stress and quick to activate way to capitalise on this incremental sales opportunity.”
“Restaurant Brands Collective offer operators the food brands and operational expertise and training they need to ensure their delivery or dine-in menus are a success.”
