Virtual restaurants, or when an established restaurant spins off a new brand and menu for delivery or pick up only, are increasingly viewed as an affordable way to target new customers. Just Salad is one of the biggest chains to jump into the trend with its new virtual restaurant, Health Tribes. The restaurant, which launches today, is a partnership with Grubhub and focuses on customers following specific diets.
The online menu is divided into vegan, keto, gluten-free and paleo dishes. The bowls and salads on offer include the Protein Power Salad, a mix of greens, grilled chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, hard-boiled egg, avocado and grape tomatoes. Most dishes are around $10.
"Just Salad has always been dedicated to making healthy food accessible to everyone, and the Health Tribes brand is a continuation of that mission," said Stephen Swartz, VP of marketing at Just Salad, in a statement. "As the dietary needs and preferences of our guests evolve, we're taking this step with Grubhub to evolve right alongside them."
With 50 units, this is the largest virtual restaurant that Grubhub has partnered with, but certainly not the first. Over the past few months, for example, they've launched two partnerships with Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, or LEYE. One virtual restaurant was Whole30-branded, and another was a partnership with Bon Appetit magazine. A spokesperson for Grubhub said more of these virtual restaurants could be expected in the following months.
"By leveraging our data and insights across the platform, we were able to work with Just Salad to help strategically inform new concepts and menus, and we see this as the first phase of innovation around their virtual restaurant concepts," said Raleigh McClayton, VP & GM, business development/enterprise at Grubhub, which is part of the same company as Seamless.
"Whether it's picking up on the go or ordering lunch to the office, Just Salad has recognized the changing tastes of consumers, and we're excited to partner with them on this new concept. We want to empower our diners to find what they want —and need —for their own lifestyle, and the new Health Tribes menu is making that possible."
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