Nextbite sees San Diego as a top market; George Lopez Tacos to launch locally

George Lopez Tacos Latest Virtual Concept Launched

In October, Denver-based Nextbite launched Hotbox by Wiz, a delivery-only online restaurant with rapper Wiz Khalifa, in San Diego. On June 8, Nextbite, under parent company Ordermark, will bring virtual concept George Lopez Tacos, in partnership with the comedian/ actor of the same name, to the city as well.

For Alex Canter, CEO of Ordermark, San Diego is a top market for the corporation's ghost kitchens; Nextbite focuses on launching online and delivery only restaurant concepts to drive incremental revenue into existing restaurant kitchens. In addition to Hotbox and Tacos, Nextbite has also dropped between five and 10 other delivery-only concepts in San Diego since launching in 2017.

“When we develop our brands, some of them are targeted to certain demographics or age groups, and some work well in some cities while others in the suburbs,” he said. “Typically, we identify top markets where the type of food is selling and where it would do well. Hotbox resonates with college kids, so we targeted college towns, for example. With

Lopez, tacos perform well here and that obviously means San

Diego is at the top of that list.”

Added George Lopez: “My street tacos are all about helping you (break) your routines and dinner expectations with a badass street taco experience that tastes damn delicious. With Nextbite's delivery-only concept, we are helping restaurants thrive by adding a delicious delivery-only menu item that allows them to get a little bit of George in the kitchen and bring more revenue into their operation.”

30% Profit Margins

Currently, Nextbite has 15 virtual restaurant brands, Canter said. The company, he said, has worked with thousands of restaurants across the United

States and has a presence in every major city. The goal is to drive incremental orders to restaurants that have the capacity to do so with little to no additional overhead, said Canter.

Typically, restaurant partners see an increase of up to 30% profit margins as a result, he said.

To date, Nextbite has raised $150 million in capital from venture capital.

Moving forward, Canter said he plans to continue to launch food concepts in San Diego.

“We've got some exciting concepts we are working on and rolling out,” he said. “We will continue to look at San Diego as one of our top cities. It is a great delivery market for these concepts that we continue to develop. So, there are many more to come.”■