Earlier to the pandemic, Brinker International–the company behind Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy– had set up its own innovation department to imagine what the future of restaurants would look like and develop has plans for the company to change with the times. One idea was the creation of concepts online only, which would function from the company’s existing restaurant kitchen. Industry publication Restaurant company reports this in a phone call with investors, CEO Wyman Roberts made that public Brinker had run out of ideas for a number of virtual restaurants, with the first being “sort of a Mexican” concept and the second focus all on cock wings.
But then the pandemic happened, and threw the entire restaurant industry into a tailspin. Brinker quickly accelerated her plans for virtual restaurants and decided that the “It’s Just Wings ” concept would be first out the gate. Roberts said the reason behind the decision was the explosive growth of a competing wing concept (which he declined to identify, but which perhaps this one) whose sales have been steadily increasing by double digits since the shutdown of coronavirus in March.
It’s Just Wings is a simple concept, and only available on DoorDash. It offers three types of wings: boneless, bone-in, and smoked, the latter of which are made in the same own smokers that were used to make Chili’s baby ribs. (See? Synergy!) The rest of the menu is curled fries, baked Oreos, and that’s it. Simple, to the point, and easy enough to carry out in a small sliver of a shared kitchen.
It’s safe to say that extra Brinker virtual restorationants will follow a similar streamlined menu template, as will the future of the whole industry perhaps quickly switch away from the large menu format and transition into lean, specialized concepts that can turn profits into small footprints and limited inventory. Roberts told investors that, based on current sales rates, It’s Just Wings is on track to make more than $ 150 million in annual sales, and several other concepts are rapidlyfollowed to be launched from the 1000+ Chilies and Maggiano’s kitchens across the country. The company did not provide a timeline for any of these developments, that is probably wise, seeing that coronavirus will make whole foods the decisions of the services for the enlightened future.
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