Sam Nazarian, CEO and founder of SBE and C3, announced on Thursday that he had acquired virtual restaurant company Kitchen United's IP and assets related to its ghost kitchens. Nazarian has now formed a new company, Everybody Eats, combining Kitchen United, SBE, C3, and Nextbite, which he purchased last June.
A press release described Everybody Eats as “a CPG and culinary brands company connecting new audiences through food brands in exclusive arrangements.” Nazarian plans to help people build and scale quick service and consumer packaged goods companies through Everybody Eats’ various platforms. Investors include Alamar Saudi Arabia and Grupo Herdez.
“I cannot begin to describe the excitement I have in announcing Everybody Eats, our new company built upon C3 and the acquisitions of Kitchen United assets and Nextbite,” Nazarian said in a release. “Since starting C3 in 2019, I have been watching other industry leaders such as Nextbite and Kitchen United in their journeys to change the virtual culinary industry. These companies have had incredible ideas and unbelievable instincts but just not enough capital to ultimately disrupt the market. Everybody Eats is the solution; we have created an all-encompassing platform built upon the ideas of the three best though-leaders in the industry.”
Everybody Eats will be led by Nazarian and chief operating officer Geoff Madding, formerly Nextbite chief growth officer.
“I am incredibly excited to join the Everybody Eats team, continuing the journey I began during my time at Nextbite, to disrupt, innovate, and ultimately, help evolve the culinary industry,” Madding said in a statement. “With Sam Nazarian’s vision and our team’s dedication, I have no doubt that we will leverage the amazing work done by C3, Kitchen United, and Nextbite over the past several years to create the leading company in the disruptive culinary space.”
Kitchen United was founded in 2017 as a ghost kitchen operator; with the sale of those assets to Nazarian, the company will pivot to a software business.
Nextbite, a virtual restaurant operator, was founded in 2020 by Alex Canter.
In January, musician Marc Anthony became an equity partner in SBE, making it the first hospitality venture for Anthony’s entertainment company, Magnus. SBE is also partnering with actress Sofia Vergara and her son, Manolo Vergara, on a brand called TOMA.
Eventually, Everybody Eats intends to expand to industries including supermarkets, convenience, casual dining, hotels, and more.
Contact Leigh Anne Zinsmeister at [email protected]