Kitchen United, the Ghost Kitchen and Restaurant Hub Technology Pioneer, Announces $100M Series C Fundraise

Blue Chip Investors & Strategics, Founders, and CEO Bet on World-Class Proprietary Technology and Capital Efficient Growth to Drive Further Consolidation of the Ghost Kitchen Industry

PASADENA, Calif., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Kitchen United, ghost kitchen and restaurant hub technology pioneer, announced a $100M Series C fundraise, which includes some of the world’s preeminent financial and strategic investors. Kitchen United welcomes new investors: Alimentation Couche-Tard / Circle K (TSX: ATD), The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), B. Riley Venture Capital, a subsidiary of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), Simon (NYSE: SPG), Phillips Edison & Co (NASDAQ: PECO), and The HAVI Group. Additionally, strong participation continued from all existing institutional and strategic investors: GV, various funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, RXR, DivcoWest, Cali Group, GoldenArc Capital, General Global Capital, and Rich Product Corporation. Lastly, Kitchen United founders, Harry Tsao and John Miller, Kitchen United CEO, Michael Montagano, and two-time NFL Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, made significant investments in the round. On completion of this round, the company’s total raise to date reaches approximately $175M.

“This Series C financing further solidifies Kitchen United’s leadership position in the industry,” said Michael Montagano, Kitchen United’s Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. “Kitchen United uniquely sits at the intersection of technology, food, and real estate. Our solution serves as the technological and physical infrastructure revolutionizing centrally located distribution hubs through streamlining off-premises ordering and consumption. To that end, we are thrilled to partner with leading investors across grocery, convenience, restaurants, malls, packaging, logistics, distribution, automation, and urban and suburban real estate development,” says Montagano.

“We see many commercial opportunities in partnering with Kitchen United as it prepares for considerable scale. We believe this business stands apart from other industry players with its centralized locations, multi-format offerings, experienced management team, and mature technology stack — all of which align with Circle K’s mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day as we work together to shape the future of convenience,” said Kevin Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard.

“The rising trend of off-premises dining presents a major growth opportunity for the ghost kitchen sector, and Kitchen United is uniquely positioned for significant expansion in the years ahead,” says David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner, GV. “We’ve long been impressed with Kitchen United’s exceptional execution and unparalleled leadership in the sector. We’re excited to continue partnering with Michael Montagano and the entire Kitchen United team as they open more kitchen centers across the country and reach more restaurants and consumers.”

In the past two years, Kitchen United has unveiled multiple industry-leading initiatives, including collaborations in grocery with Kroger and at Simon properties nationwide.

Kitchen United currently has approximately 200 operational kitchens across 20 regions, powered by its industry-leading proprietary technology, with plans to significantly increase its technological and physical footprint in the near term. The company has seen triple-digit top-line growth for three consecutive years, all supported by industry-leading metrics. Kitchen United’s proprietary technology enables customers to order from multiple prepared food and consumer goods brands on the same ticket and with the same delivery driver, all synchronized to maximize quality and payload, and minimize time and expense.

Kitchen United will continue its focus on Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Texas as key markets with continued expansion throughout other US trade areas. Additionally, Kitchen United will be further evolving its industry-leading multi-concept ordering technology platform Kitchen United OS, for use by customers including Burger King, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A., Portillo’s, Panera Bread, Dog Haus, Wingstop, and Brinker International.

About Kitchen United
Founded in 2017, Kitchen United is a leading provider of restaurant hub technology, streamlined logistics and turn-key commercial kitchen space that empowers foodservice operators to tap into the growing off-premises business opportunity and offers consumers a first-of-its-kind to-go experience. The company offers a value-driven, low-risk way for emerging and established restaurant brands to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premises dining and expand delivery areas. For additional information, please visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.

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White Castle Selects Miso Robotics for a New Era of Artificial Intelligence in the Fast Food Industry

PASADENA, Calif., July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle®, the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, announced today a planned pilot with Miso Robotics – creators of the first autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy – to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry. As part of the deployment, White Castle will bring the new version of Flippy, Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), into kitchens for testing and future integration. The deployment will put autonomous frying to work for enhanced production speeds, improved labor allocation and an added layer of health and safety in the cooking process. Committed to delivering the best customer dining experience, White Castle’s selection of Miso Robotics marks a move by the pioneering chain to modernize operations for even faster, fresher and delicious meals, every time.

Like many sectors, the restaurant industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been forced to reexamine business operations and best practices. Through the adoption of innovative and forward-looking technologies – like robotics automation and artificial intelligence – restaurants can build a future focused kitchen that reassures customers of the best standards in food preparation. White Castle’s decision to pilot Flippy in the kitchen creates an avenue for reduced human contact with food during the cooking process – reducing potential for transmission of food pathogens. The implementation also brings intelligence to cooking, tapping into sensors, intelligent monitoring and anticipated kitchen needs to keep food temperatures consistent, that ensure optimal quality and a perfect bite for customers. With Flippy in the kitchen automating repetitive, time consuming and dangerous tasks like frying, team members can be redeployed to more customer-experience driven tasks.

“White Castle is an industry innovator, and we take a great amount of pride in our history – never forgetting about the future ahead,” said Lisa Ingram, 4th generation family leader and CEO of White Castle. “With 100 years of quick service success, the time has never been more perfect to envision what the next century of White Castle and the restaurant industry looks like. Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle’s brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining. A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come.”

Founded in 1921, White Castle became the first fast food restaurant. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, White Castle created the framework for the modern QSR business model and reinvented the restaurant experience. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary, it Flippy ROAR’s deployment commemorates another historic moment in the chain.

“Miso Robotics couldn’t be more excited to bring Flippy ROAR into White Castle,” said Buck Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of Miso Robotics. “Artificial intelligence and robotics brings a very real opportunity to continuously enhance the cooking process and optimize taste for restaurants. White Castle’s brand is iconic, navigating new challenges to bring their menu to more customers, prepared in a healthier environment by staff in better working conditions that adhere to social distancing needs is something only Miso Robotics can do. We look forward to being a part of White Castle’s next 100 years.”

Flippy ROAR will deploy later this fall. The deployment will test speeds in production, taste, quality and operational optimization with backend POS integration. Following integration, Flippy ROAR’s zero-footprint design will be tested to improve employee and food preparation, for wider location integration.

About White Castle®
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider®, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/

Press Contact
Diane Zuniga
909-510-0433
[email protected]

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Super League Gaming Partners With Tencent Games To Bring PUBG MOBILE Amateur Esports To U.S. Players

Super League Will Provide Competitive Experiences to PUBG MOBILE Players in Local Communities Nationwide and Create New PUBG MOBILE Content Programming Across Social and Digital Platforms

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (“Super League” or the “Company”) (NasdaqCM: SLGG), a leading community of gamers who connect through the Company’s live, digital and social content brands and experiences, today announced a partnership with Tencent Games, the largest video game publisher in the world based in Shenzhen, China, to bring PUBG MOBILE content and experiences to gamers throughout the U.S. Super League will work with Tencent to build local and digital PUBG MOBILE communities through amateur leagues and competitions, live stream broadcasts, and original video-on-demand content. With a growing audience across digital and social platforms, Super League will apply its proven formula to PUBG MOBILE of celebrating everyday players based on their gameplay achievements and diverse personal stories.

“PUBG MOBILE fits perfectly within Super League’s expanding offerings for more than 100 million enthusiastic gamers across the country,” said Super League’s CEO Ann Hand. “It delivers on every level with fun gameplay, competitive intensity and a passionate player base. We could not be more excited to launch this program with Tencent across our nationwide venue network, SuperLeagueTV and our recently acquired Framerate social video network.”

PUBG MOBILE is one of the top mobile games in the world with more than 400 million downloads and 50 million daily users, and is one of Tencent Game’s most successful mobile franchises. Super League’s new PUBG MOBILE experiences will include local, social gameplay nights, as well as a “City Champs” league. City Champs is Super League’s premium competitive franchise, creating a powerful bond between gamers as they battle together on behalf of their hometown and compete for city pride. The new experiences are expected to begin rolling out in September of this year.

“Tencent Games is thrilled to work with Super League and bring amateur PUBG MOBILE esports to the U.S.,” said Tencent Games’ Neo Liu, Head of North American Publishing, “The live, local gamer communities that Super League develops, and the personally engaging content produced and distributed through their digital and social channels will delight PUBG MOBILE players and help drive ongoing growth of the game.”

About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming, Inc. (NasdaqCM: SLGG) is a leading esports community and content platform for competitive, everyday gamers, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates physical and digital experiences in partnership with publishers of top-tier games. Local movie theatres, PC cafes, restaurant and entertainment venues are transformed into esports arenas where gamers compete, socialize, spectate and celebrate the amateur esports lifestyle. Super League’s platform offers unique amateur esports experiences that not only ratchet up the competition for avid gamers, but also attract audiences with elite amateur broadcasts that transform physical venues as well as fuel SuperLeagueTV’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

About Tencent Games
Tencent Games is the leading global platform for game development, publishing and operation, as well as operator of the largest online games community in China. The company is dedicated to offering high-quality interactive entertainment experiences for all players across the globe. It currently offers more than 140 self-developed and licensed games in more than 200 countries and regions, providing hundreds of millions of users with cross-platform interactive entertainment experiences. Honor of Kings, PUBG MOBILE and League of Legends among others are some of Tencent Games’ most popular titles around the world.

About PUBG MOBILE
PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.

Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Gateway Investor Relations
(949) 574-3860
[email protected]

Media Contacts:
Ranese Southerland
B/HI for Tencent Games
[email protected]

Ann Kaiser
High10 Media for Super League Gaming
(212) 918-2029
[email protected]

Source: Super League Gaming
Released August 14, 2019

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Super League Gaming and ggCircuit Partner to Bring Super League Esports Experiences to Hundreds of Gaming Centers Throughout the U.S.

A first-of-its-kind partnership will enable esports gaming centers that use ggCircuit’s venue management software to seamlessly offer Super League events to local gamers

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (NASDAQ: SLGG), a leading platform unifying communities of amateur esports players and fans across game titles and skill levels, and ggCircuit, a leading esports center services company, announced today a new partnership through which Super League experiences will be rolled out across ggCircuit’s esports center footprint. The collaboration will enable easy access to local and national Super League competitions everywhere ggCircuit’s “ggLeap” center management software is installed.

Super League Gaming has produced more than 2,500 live esports tournaments and events featuring game titles such as League of Legends, Clash Royale, Minecraft and Fortnite. The company’s proprietary technology platform powers premium in-person competitive experiences at scale, transforming physical venues into pop-up esports arenas complete with jumbotron-like visualization on available monitors and screens.

ggCircuit’s industry leading venue management software, ggLeap, is used by more than 915 gaming centers globally through which more than 1,000,000 unique players have created local accounts over 24 months. With ggLeap, esport center managers provide gamers with personalization and rewards that engender increased player loyalty to the venue.

“Partnering with ggCircuit was a natural step in Super League’s mission to provide every gamer with regular opportunities to participate in events and leagues within a venue close to their home,” said Matt Edelman, chief commercial officer of Super League Gaming. “We are fortunate to have aligned with a company that shares our commitment to supporting the growth of local player communities through best-in-class solutions and experiences.”

“Our automated venue management software unifies hundreds of esports centers and helps them establish lasting connections with gamers in their local community,” said Mark Nielsen, chief operating officer and co-founder of ggCircuit. “With Super League as a partner, ggCircuit will be able to deepen that connection by making it easy for esports centers to offer Super League’s premium social esports experiences.”

The first Super League program will be available to esports gaming centers in June.

About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming (www.SuperLeague.com) is a leading esports community for gamers, competitors, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates in-person and digital leagues in partnership with publishers of top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale. Local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues are transformed into esports arenas where players compete while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Super League’s primary programs consist of: the first and only city-vs-city amateur esports competition in which players compete in-person on behalf of their hometown as members of Super League’s City Clubs; monthly tournaments throughout the year playable both from home and a multitude of physical locations across the U.S.; and special events produced in partnership with consumer brands, entertainment companies and game publishers, all powered by the Super League platform. SuperLeagueTV supports all Super League experiences with live streams of the competitions and original video-on-demand content on Twitch and YouTube.

About ggCircuit
ggCircuit started out as a grassroots movement in 2008 by a group of passionate LAN Center owners/managers that wanted to provide better management software for cybercafes, universities and LAN centers worldwide. Drawing on their collective experience they developed a state-of-the-art software management system, ggLeap, that was not only easy and flexible for centers to use, but also delivered end user features that kept gamers engaged, offering more benefits than they would get by playing at home.

Since ggCircuit’s humble beginnings the company has evolved into a fully-fledged esports services company providing not only center management software solutions, but also rolling out a global competition and reward system, managed esports events and tournaments and center consulting support services.

As the esports scene continues to grow, ggCircuit is expanding and is positioned to iterate, improve and add services and solutions for centers, business partners and gamers across the globe.

Forward-Looking Statements
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty, are predictions only and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company’s products and services, the ability to complete software development plans in a timely manner, changes in relationships with third parties, product mix sold by the Company and other factors described in the Company’s most public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Media Contact:
Ann Kaiser
(212) 918-2029
[email protected]

Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
(949) 574-3860
[email protected]

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PopID, the Universal Authentication Service Trusted by Consumers and Merchants, Closes Series A Financing

Round Includes Leading Tech Investors and Restaurant Operators

PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: APR 17, 2019 07:00 EDT

PASADENA, Calif., April 17, 2019 (Newswire.com) – Cali Group, a food tech holding company, announced today that PopID, ‎a company co-founded and seeded by Cali Group, has closed a $5M Series A financing. Wavemaker led the round, and Cali Group made a significant follow on investment. Other investors in the deal included franchise operators of some of the largest global restaurant brands and owners of Stoner’s Pizza Joint, Park Burger, and Bird Call. Inflection Capital and NRD Capital, a private equity firm with substantial restaurant holdings, also participated.

PopID is rapidly building a two-sided marketplace comprised of: (1) registered consumers that prefer to use one face authentication service for various purposes across multiple channels; and (2) brick and mortar merchants that install PopID software on their kiosks, POS systems, and payment terminals. Consumers ‎register for PopID to increase convenience and also have more personalized experiences in brick and mortar environments, and merchants utilize PopID to reduce ordering time and credit card processing fees. PopID is currently focused on‎ the restaurant industry; the platform is being used by various restaurant operators on or near a dozen college campuses and thousands of college students. As the network of registered users increases in the future, the company plans to move into other uses of its face gateway in retail payments, ticketing, and building entry. Consumers will be able to register for PopID once and use it throughout their daily lives.

“The number of restaurant operators investing in this round illustrates the benefits of PopID for both merchants and Millennial consumers,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and acting CEO of PopID. “We are seeing a network effect for growth of this platform: every new merchant that purchases PopID software for operational ‎and cost reasons results in thousands of new PopID registered users; and the rapid increase in registered users is resulting in larger chains seeking to adopt the technology.”

PopID leveraged Cali Group’s infrastructure for incubating new restaurant technology products. PopID was tested and optimized in the CaliBurger restaurant chain owned by Cali Group. Cali Group has also co-founded and made substantial investments ‎in Super League Gaming, Miso Robotics, and Kitchen United.

ABOUT PopID:

PopID is a universal gateway for identity verification through facial recognition. Learn more about the PopID vision at PopID.com. For more information please contact Virginia Dadey, [email protected] or (917) 848-0748.

ABOUT CALI GROUP:

Cali Group is a holding company that comprises significant ownership positions in various technology companies developing software products to digitize and automate the brick and mortar world. Cali Group uses the brands in its restaurant operating division to prove out the viability of new technologies for the restaurant and retail industries. For more information, visit www.thecaligroup.com

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Super League Gaming, Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming, Inc. (the “Company”), a leading amateur esports community and content platform, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 2,272,727 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 26, 2019 under the symbol “SLGG.” All of the shares are being offered by the Company. In addition, the Company has offered the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase from the Company up to an additional 340,909 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, to cover over-allotments, if any. The initial public offering is expected to close on February 28, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.

The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including sales and marketing activities, product development and capital expenditures.

Northland Securities, Inc. and Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers and National Securities Corporation is acting as the co-manager for the initial public offering.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with and was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The offering is being made only by means of a written prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the final prospectus related to the offering may be obtained, when available, by contacting Northland Securities Inc., Attention: Heidi Fletcher, 150 South Fifth Street, Suite 3300, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email [email protected] or telephone (612) 851-4918 or Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC, Attention: Syndicate Dept., 920 Second Avenue South, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email [email protected] or telephone (612) 326-1305.

About Super League

Super League is a preeminent and unifying community for amateur esports players. Through premium in-person and digital events and leagues featuring top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale, Super League provides competitive video gamers with opportunities to experience their sport like the pros within a social environment that fosters positive communication, good sportsmanship and teamwork. Super League’s proprietary technology platform transforms local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues into esports arenas, facilitating critical components of successful competitions such as player match-making, tournament operations, data visualization, and local and national live broadcasts, all across a wide variety of competitive formats.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and preliminary prospectus filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Contacts

Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
949-574-3860
[email protected]

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Kitchen United Opens Newest Kitchen Center in Chicago

Virtual Restaurant Concept Introducing Next Location in River North Neighborhood in November, Opening to Public in January

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, a Los Angeles-based virtual restaurant provider, today announced the opening of its next kitchen center at 825 N. Sedgwick St. in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Coming on the heels of a $10M funding round led by GV, Kitchen United will work with restaurant partners to begin move-in in mid-December, and will start serving Chicago consumers in January.

With this launch, Kitchen United is offering national, regional and local restaurant chains a value-driven, low-risk opportunity to offload busy and disruptive off premise operations, or find entry into the Chicago market. Kitchen United already has commitments from several large restaurant chains who will be moving into the facility, and expects that this location will be fully subscribed by the time it starts serving consumers in early 2019.

Kitchen United’s “kitchen centers” are facilities that can house 10-20 restaurants with commercial kitchens optimized specifically for the catering, delivery and takeout marketplace. The company creates turnkey solutions for restaurants and positions its kitchen facilities in areas where demand is high and the local restaurant infrastructure is strained by the influx of non-traditional business. Chicago’s vibrant and fast growing River North ward is a perfect location and the company is excited to be opening its first location outside of California in such a busy environment.

“We select locations for our kitchen centers very carefully, and this space passed our site selection process with flying colors,” said Jim Collins, CEO of Kitchen United. “River North has an extremely high demand for food delivery, catering and pickup services. Restaurants in the area are stressed by the new business and the new facility will cater to both the in-place community, as well as bringing new dining options into the area to meet rising consumer demand.”

Kitchen United’s core business serves local, regional and national chains, but the company reserves space in each facility to enable restaurant and food service entrepreneurs an opportunity to start or expand their business and River North will provide space for this purpose as well.

“Changes in consumer preference are dramatically shaping the food landscape across the country,” said Chief Operating Officer of Kitchen United, Meredith Sandland. “Our facilities are designed to empower local and national restaurants to meet the demand for more off-premise dining options in their most relevant target markets. We’re thrilled to bring our next kitchen center to life in Chicago, and are hard at work to meet our expansion goals for the year ahead.”

Chicago is the second market for Kitchen United’s shared kitchen spaces and the company has aggressive growth plans for the year ahead. In 2019, the company is slated to open new facilities in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver and New York City. As a data-driven organization, Kitchen United identifies the most promising locations for its kitchen centers by aggregating insights on demographics, income levels and cuisine-specific demand as well as drive time, traffic patterns and other data. The company also provides its restaurant partners opt-in consumer and operational data to tailor their businesses and menus to better meet local consumer demand and run more efficiently.

About Kitchen United

Kitchen United provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to easily expand into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand existing delivery areas by removing common barriers, such as capital or technology expertise. For additional information, visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.

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CALI GROUP PRESENTS VISION FOR FOOD JUSTICE

Cali Group CEO to Discuss White Paper at the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Innovation Summit

October 30, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CA – Cali Group released today its vision for the future of the restaurant industry in a white paper entitled “Food Justice,” available for download at Food Justice. Authored by the partners of Cali Group, the paper first describes how the restaurant industry has historically been criticized for contributing to socioeconomic inequality by delivering poor nutrition to low income communities and serving as an employment trap for low income workers. They then propose that new technologies and business model paradigms will benefit low income communities by: (1) enabling delivery of higher quality food at lower prices direct to homes; and (2) providing higher income and more rewarding jobs without necessarily reducing the total number of jobs available.

On November 8 at the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Innovation Summit, Cali Group Chairman and CEO John Miller will discuss the white paper as he co-moderates a session on restaurant automation. During the session, Mr. Miller will engage in a dialogue with political scientist Darrell West about the impact of new technologies on the American workforce and society. Dr. West is the author of a new book titled The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation.

ABOUT CALI GROUP
Cali Group is a holding company that comprises significant ownership positions in various technology companies developing software products to digitize and automate the brick and mortar world. Cali Group uses CaliBurger, a global restaurant chain that it operates as a subsidiary, to prove out the viability of new technologies for the restaurant and retail industries. For more information, visit www.thecaligroup.com.

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Cali Group Reports Results From Pop Iq Pilot Program Across Caliburger’s West Coast Restaurants

POP IQ Reduces Kiosk Transaction Time, Increases Loyalty Usage, and Is Preferred By Customers For Payment Processing.

LOS ANGELES, October 18, 2018 (Newswire.com) –Cali Group announced today that it’s majority-owned subsidiary, POP IQ, has completed a pilot program of its face-based authentication platform in CaliBurger’s restaurants in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver. POP IQ was installed on self-ordering kiosks in five CaliBurger restaurants so that registered POP IQ members could log in to their CaliBurger loyalty accounts by face authentication and also process credit card payments through face authentication (instead of credit card swipe). Cali Group previously reported that the POP IQ face matching system has an accuracy of over 99%. Key highlights of this multi-location trial include:

* Transaction time at a kiosk for a typical customer is approximately three minutes while transaction time at a kiosk for a customer that logs in using POP IQ is 1:44;

* 20% of customers ordering at the kiosks registered for POP IQ;

* 99% of returning customers that previously registered for POP IQ utilized POP IQ to log in to their loyalty accounts; and

* 69% of returning customers that previously registered for POP IQ utilized POP IQ to process payments instead of swiping credit cards.

“After nearly a year of testing POP IQ at CaliBurger, we have shown that POP IQ reduces kiosk transaction time, increases use of a merchant’s loyalty program, and becomes a preferred method for payment processing over credit card swipes,” said John Miller, Chairman and CEO of Cali Group. “Based on the success of the CaliBurger program, we will continue to deploy the POP IQ face network at other merchants in Los Angeles so that registered POP IQ members can authenticate themselves by touching the increasingly familiar POP IQ logo for a variety of different use cases ranging from building access to payment.”

ABOUT POP IQ

POP IQ is a universal gateway for face authentication. Learn more about the POP IQ vision at www.pop-iq.com.

ABOUT CALI GROUP 

Cali Group is a holding company that comprises significant ownership positions in various technology companies developing software products to digitize and automate the brick and mortar world. Cali Group uses the brands in its restaurant operating division to prove out the viability of new technologies for the restaurant and retail industries. For more information, visit www.thecaligroup.com.

Source: Cali Group

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GV Leads $10M Investment in Kitchen United to Bring Flexible Kitchen Spaces to New Markets

Kitchen United Takes Data-Driven Approach to Help Restaurants Reach More Customers

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, a virtual restaurant concept, today announced the closing of a $10 million Series A funding round led by GV (formerly Google Ventures). Co-founders Harry Tsao and John Miller (Cali Group) also participated, along with several other investors. Launched in 2017, Kitchen United offers national, regional, and local restaurant chains a value-driven, low-risk opportunity to expand into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining, and expand their addressable delivery market. Kitchen United’s state-of-the-art commercial kitchens also provide food entrepreneurs the flexibility and business intelligence needed to enter this rapidly growing market.

Kitchen United will use the funding to power its national growth strategy – the company has plans to open new facilities in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver and New York City by the end of 2019. These funds will also build the company’s real estate, marketing, engineering and operations functions in connection with the existing leadership team, which hails from industry giants like Taco Bell, McDonald’s, SBE Entertainment, Wolfgang Puck and more. As part of the investment, GV General Partner Adam Ghobarah will be joining Kitchen United’s board of directors.

Kitchen United leverages aggregate data to identify the best locations for its “Kitchen Centers,” which are facilities that can house 10-20 restaurants in converted warehouses, as well as big box and light industrial locations. Data on local demographics are overlaid with cuisine-specific demand mapping to determine the best locations for these centers, as well as the best partner fit from its growing list of participating restaurants. Once in the facility, Kitchen United provides its restaurants access to opt-in consumer and operational data to tailor their businesses, meet consumer demand, and realize operational efficiency. Examples of these functions include flagging unpopular menu choices, allowing restaurants to reduce menu size, and tailoring labor size based on demand.

“Kitchen United’s data-driven approach to flexible kitchen spaces unlocks critical value for national, regional, and local restaurant chains looking to expand into new markets,” said Adam Ghobarah, general partner at GV. “The founding team’s experience in scaling – in addition to diverse exposure to national chains, regional brands, regional franchises, and small upstart eateries – puts Kitchen United in a strong position to accelerate food innovation. Delivery networks have created new possibilities for food entrepreneurs, and we see significant investment opportunities in this ecosystem.”

According to UBS, the food delivery market is expected to grow from $35 billion today to $365 billion worldwide by 2030, an annual average of more than 20 percent. Capitalizing on the rapidly changing restaurant landscape, Kitchen United’s Kitchen Centers create operational efficiencies and reduce delivery costs for restaurants while providing more food options and decreasing wait time for customers. Rather than the traditional approach of spending millions of dollars and taking months to establish new locations, restaurant partners utilizing Kitchen United spaces can enter new markets at a fraction of the cost and time, simply by staffing the kitchen and advertising the local address through the delivery services and their web channels.

“Consumers are demanding new dining choices at ever increasing levels,” said Jim Collins, CEO of Kitchen United. “Our Kitchen Centers are designed to bring production closer to homes and businesses across the country, empowering local and national businesses alike to reach new markets. We’re thrilled to work with GV as we bring many more of these kitchen spaces to life in the years ahead.”

About Kitchen United

Kitchen United offers food entrepreneurs the flexibility and business intelligence to take the next step in starting or growing their business — regardless of size or experience. Kitchen United provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to easily expand into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand existing delivery areas by removing common barriers, such as capital or technology expertise. For additional information, visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.

 

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