Franchising
Why vampires, secret agents are taking delivery gigs
Josh Sugarman, chief experience officer and founder of Codename Burg3r and Vampire (dot) Pizza, describes his concepts as "an entirely new type of restaurant delivered straight to your kitchen table from an out-of-this-world reality."
July 29, 2021 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Pizza-delivering vampires and secret agents with a love of fries may sound like plots to a quirky B movie, but in reality, they are Josh Sugarman's latest endeavors — Codename Burg3r and Vampire (dot) Pizza — inspired by the pandemic.
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| A vampire delivers pizza from Vampire (dot) Pizza. |
"Suddenly, delivery wasn't a piece of a concept, it was all of it," said the Los Angeles millennial, who pivoted his brand activation agency in 2020 to focus on dining. "Customers needed an experience that would keep them engaged with the brand and connected to one another while eating separately at home.
"We knew we could use what we do with story and game and tech to create amazing experiences for dine-out just like traditional restaurateurs have long been doing for dine-in."
At its simplest, Sugarman's goal is to turn delivery into experiences that bring customers back.
"We do that by replicating the sense of story, discovery, surprise, all the things we used to take for granted at a good restaurant," said Sugarman, 38. "We quickly assembled a group of artists and storytellers to imagine the world of Vampire (dot) Pizza — an at-home immersive delivery experience."
Launched in Los Angeles in March 2020, the virtual pizza concept features a costumed vampire delivering food from a partner pizzeria. Drivers also bring the supplies needed for customers to play a mystery game that requires them to adopt personas and use clues, puzzles, crafts and interactive online elements to perform tasks in hopes of convincing a fictional character — Belle — to hire them to join her vampire-fighting army.
The team has hosted limited runs in Las Vegas, New York and Philadelphia and this month began piloting a burger concept — Codename Burg3r.
"Players are new recruit agents, working to solve Field Missions through videos, clues and more. It's an all-new 'dinneractive' experience at home that can be enjoyed by foodies, families, friends — anyone," Sugarman told FastCasual. "Customers become an agent in our game full of story, puzzles and intergalactic characters. There's an endless supply of missions for us to deliver and a secret food menu you unlock as you 'Burger Up' through the ranks — and it's in L.A. to stay. The more you order, the more gameplay you unlock."
Building a menu empire
Both brands are part of Sugarman's game and entertainment-driven food-ordering platform officially launching this fall.
"We'll be expanding to new cities in partnership with other burger, pizza, taco or other fast casual restaurant partners who join our network," Sugarman said. "Any type of food is welcome in our Codename Restaurants network. We're all about empowering those partners to use the power of immersive story and game to get their food to new customers in a brand new way."
Each partner location has its own menu unique to its operation and concept. Ghost Pizza Kitchen, for example, provides the pizzas for the Vamp concept in Los Angeles, while Las Vegas pop-ups used Area 15 as well as Those Guys Pies. In Philadelphia, Stephen Starr's Pizzeria Stella was Vamp's partner, and New York relied on Sauce, Roberta's, Rizzo's, Euro and Williamsburg Pizza.
"It's all about empowering our restaurant partners to use what they already do well in a completely new way," Sugarman said.
Although Sugarman is open to the idea of eventually having a brick-and-mortar location, he's more focused on expanding as a virtual brand in partnership with the partner kitchens.
"But you never know," said Sugarman, who is seeking Codename Burg3r partners to help him open in other cities before Halloween.
"We've created a world big enough so anyone can find what is magical for them within it," Sugarman said. "For many people, food delivery became a highlight of their time during the pandemic, and I don't think that trend is going anywhere."
Although restrictions are lifting, consumers are still looking for immersive experiences after so many companies pivoted to create at-home entertainment.
"A major goal of ours with Codename Burg3r was to make a dining experience that makes people feel like they're part of a community even while eating at home," he said. "When you play, you get the chance to interact with the Codename Burg3r characters, as well as build your own and in the near future you will be able to talk with other players — similar to a video game."
About Cherryh Cansler
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