Working with Nextbite’s virtual brands started as a pandemic era experiment to keep the I.V. Deli Mart afloat, but over the last four years has become a key strategic channel for attracting new customers to this restaurant in Isla Vista, California according to owner Dana Cornalino. Located a block from the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, students are drawn to the restaurant for its varied menu and late-night hours.
Her robust menu includes student favorites including wings, burgers, and fries, as well as Mexican and Italian offerings. She also caters to the vegans and vegetarians who are broadly represented on campus. “Students travel and eat in packs and having something that will satisfy the variety of dietary needs represented in each group is an important part of our menu design,” explained Cornalino. “I also update our menu to reflect what students are craving from social media.”
The expansiveness of her menu offerings, as well as her long hours, means that IV Deli Mart can execute on many virtual brands at once, but she’s strategic about her approach. “I make sure that we’re already making the food in our kitchen before we take on a virtual brand, so it doesn’t overwhelm the cooks,” she explains.
Translating her size-able menu into discreet and targeted virtual brands, means that she can reach customers who know exactly what they’re looking for on the delivery platforms. Those customers are different from the groups of students who order and are particularly valuable during the summer and holidays. “Isla Vista can turn into a ghost town when school is out,” Cornalino explains. “Our virtual brands provide meaningful revenue during the offseason and allow us to keep employees all year long.”
While she partners with several virtual brand providers, Cornalino raves that Nextbite is the “Cadillac of virtual brand companies.” She cites the cohesive operational support, comprehensive training and visual guides for Spanish speakers, and robust menus to choose from as reasons for her praise. She adds, “It’s made me step up my own game, using their training videos as inspiration for what I needed to do for my own menus.”