Franchising

Nathan's Famous opens 100th ghost kitchen since June

Photo: File

February 8, 2021

Nathan's Famous Inc. has opened its 100th ghost kitchen since June 2020. The kitchens — which offer both the Nathan's Famous menu as well as the recently launched virtual kitchen concept — Wings of New York — are open across the globe from Dubai to Florida. Both brands signed agreements to open an additional 45 locations in the coming months, a news release said.

"We are proud to open our 100th ghost kitchen location with an independent restaurant in Brooklyn," James Walker, Nathan's Famous senior vice president, Restaurants, said in the release. "Opening virtual kitchens has been part of our overall restaurant strategy for some time, with our first partnership being with Franklin Junction in 2020. We want to bring the 'Flavor of New York' to more guests through these great partners.

"While Nathan's and Wings of New York are different in their offerings and menus, they both share the focus on ensuring all menu items are 'Memorable, Craveable and Instagrammable.' Our goal with these ghost kitchens is not just to grow our brand around the world, but also help other restaurants by providing them additional business during these turbulent times for the industry."

The latest ghost kitchen opened in Brooklyn at the local restaurant, The Black Iron Burger. Nathan's Famous also partnered with REEF in 2020 to expand across the U.S. alongside its many independent restaurants.

Nathan's has future plans to open locations in Pennsylvania and California. Likewise, both Nathan's Famous ghost kitchen and Wings of New York have recently opened locations in Ireland and Dubai with future plans to open in Canada and Europe this coming year.

Nathan's — based in New York City — is a Russell 2000 Company that distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and 12 foreign countries.