GEOFF ALEXANDER of Wow Bao on Dark Kitchen Branding (Restaurant Influencers - RI026)

Wow Bao CEO and President Geoff Alexander learned that in order to expand a restaurant concept you have to “wow” with impressive branding. Watch this interview to learn about improving your brand presence, online ordering innovations, and letting go in order to grow.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN on this episode of the Restaurant Influencers podcast, sponsored by the Toast point of sale and restaurant management company? Let us know by leaving a YouTube comment below!

• Improve Your Restaurant with Toast: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

CHAPTERS:
[02:08] - Wow Bao 2-Minute Drill
[04:28] - Restaurant Innovations
[09:48] - Operating Dark Kitchens
[17:22] - Getting Outside Help with Social Media
[24:57] - Using Influencer Marketing

Geoff Alexander is a Restaurant Influencer —

Dark Kitchens are a fairly new concept in the restaurant industry, but Geoff Alexander and Wow Bao have found a way to carve their own lane in the virtual kitchen space.

Wow Bao CEO and President Geoff Alexander said his company’s Dark Kitchen Initiative is a way to turn the lights on in existing kitchens and give them more business.

The dark kitchen concept allows for Wow Bao menu items to be cooked and prepared in the unused areas of already built restaurants and commercial kitchens and delivered to customers everywhere with third-party platforms.

“We believe in dark kitchens.” Geoff Alexander explained on the Restaurant Influencers podcast with Shawn Walchef of https://calibbq.media. “Where that comes from is every restaurant has capacity. And especially during COVID, you lost your dining room, you didn't need all of your kitchen space… And we believe we can help turn the lights on in that dark area.”

Wow Bao serves “Hot Asian Buns,” soft fluffy dough that is filled with savory or sweet flavors and steamed to perfection. They also offer a number of other fast Asian street food offerings and specialty drinks.

The requirements to operator a Wow Bao Dark Kitchen are:
An active licensed commercial or restaurant kitchen
Existing kitchen equipment or capacity to add equipment
Broadliner delivery service or comparable vendor services
Experience with third-party delivery platforms
An owner, officer, or director must have at least 2 years of experience in the business

“We believe that life’s too short for uninspired food. We’re here to transform the fast-casual experience from every day and expected to extraordinary and inventive,” Wow Bao states on its website. “We promise to put a “wow” in our guests’ day with an incomparable food experience that engages, excites, and exceeds expectations.”

NOMINATE A RESTAURANT INFLUENCER — Do you know someone or a restaurant who is great on social media? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or sending the @calibbqmedia team a DM on social media.

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EPISODE LINKS:
• Wow Bao Online - https://wowbao.com/
• Wow Bao Dark Kitchens - https://wowbao.com/dark-kitchen/
• Geoff Alexander on Twitter - https://twitter.com/geoffalex
• Delivering the Digital Restaurant Authors Interview - https://calibbq.media/delivering-the-digital-restaurant-meredith-sandland-carl-orsbourn-dh119/

SIGN-UP FOR SHOW UPDATES – https://restaurantinfluencers.media
SUBSCRIBE TO RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS PODCAST – https://link.chtbl.com/RIpodcast

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ABOUT WOW BAO (@wowbao):
Wow Bao is an innovative, small footprint restaurant that operates in the high-growth Asian fast casual segment. Based in Chicago, Wow Bao’s menu focuses on hot asian steamed buns, potstickers, and rice & noodle bowls.
In early 2020, Wow Bao launched their Dark Kitchen Initiative and partnered with restaurants across the country to steam their signature menu items and deliver them via 3rd Party Services. Since then, Wow Bao has successfully launched more than 550 “Dark Kitchens” in 85+ cities, on a path to open 1,000 locations.
• Geoff Alexander on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffalex

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:
Welcome to the Restaurant Influencers podcast series. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.

• Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
• Yelp - https://yelp.com
• Cali BBQ Media - https://calibbq.media

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RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST:

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.
Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants
• Learn more about Toast at https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc