(Bloomberg) – With diners staying away from restaurants, the owner of Chili’s and Maggiano’s is reporting rapid growth of a new service to supply chicken wings under a different brand name.
It’s Just Wings has been grossing more than $ 3 million a week since its launch in June, according to Wyman Roberts, chief executive officer of parent company Brinker International Inc. The brand, delivered to customers through a partnership with DoorDash Inc., uses the kitchens of 1,050 locations in Chile and Maggiano.
“Sales have grown considerably,” Roberts said at a conference call after the company reported quarterly revenue. “It has met every expectation when it exceeded our expectation.”
Brinker capitalizes on the so-called ghost kitchen concept, where restaurants forgive dining rooms and exclusively cater to customers who eat away, as the pandemic costly underpinning the dining room makes it more difficult to make pencil. It can be an injury for restaurants trying to cut costs, especially at a time when healthcare and capacity limits are putting pressure on operations.
The challenges were evident in Brinker’s performance at physical locations. Comparable restaurant sales fell 38.6% in the fourth quarter of a year ago.
Brinker shares rose 9.2% in New York on Wednesday.
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