sbe Becomes First Global Hospitality Company to Enter into Rapidly Growing Ghost Kitchen Industry with the National Launch of Sam's Crispy Chicken

MIAMI, March 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- C³ (Creating Culinary Communities) a subsidiary of sbe Entertainment Group, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning global brands, today announced the launch of its first delivery-only, virtual restaurant concept, Sam's Crispy Chicken, available now in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Delivering 100% antibiotic free chicken right to your doorstep, Sam's Crispy Chicken is a driving component of C³ which will serve as an incubator of limited service culinary brands while introducing the world to a never-before-seen approach to ghost kitchens and mobile delivery.  sbe plans to chart new territory in the growing ghost kitchen industry that's disrupting the future of dining, giving consumers the ability to order a meal at the touch of a button. Reinforcing sbe's commitment to this growing field, the global company has coined the term phone to table, cementing its role in the evolving restaurant industry. The concept marks sbe's foray into the food delivery spectrum that's set to become a more than $75 billion business in the next two years. Coupled with the rise in popularity of food delivery, Sam's Crispy Chicken was born out of the skyrocketing demand for chicken. According to the market research firm The NPD Group, roughly four billion chicken sandwiches were served at U.S. restaurants in 2018 and that number continues to grow.

Sam Nazarian, Founder & CEO of sbe and majority shareholder of C³ commented, "Through the launch of Sam's Crispy Chicken, we're taking a major step forward in reimagining the concept of food delivery and positioning ourselves as a driving force in the future of dining. Innovation has always been at the core of all that we do at sbe and this new brand will be an extension of this commitment."

Sam's Crispy Chicken's menu, conceived by Chief Culinary Officer Martin Heierling, offers an extensive array of highly-executed fried chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and salad options. Inspired by the popularity of Umami's Sam's Crispy Chicken sandwich and an unflagging demand for fried chicken utilizing bold flavor combinations, Chef Heierling spent nearly a year fine tuning the menu's recipes and cooking techniques. To create an entirely unique flavor profile, he began experimenting with infusing a koji marinade into a vacuum with buttermilk flour and then tumbling it into the chicken resulting in a consistently juicy, umami-driven quarter pound patty.

Sam's Crispy Chicken's thoughtfully-curated menu includes highlights like Buffalo fried chicken and Nashville hot fried chicken sandwiches served on plant-based brioche buns to provide a sweet complement to the savory offerings.  In addition to the wide array of sandwich options, Sam's Crispy Chicken's menu includes multiple salads including a fried chicken caesar as well as crave-worthy chicken and Belgian Liege style waffles. Heierling's menu also features a variety of house made sauces intended to complement the chicken's flavors with choices ranging from kimchi mayo to miso-honey mustard. Plant-based options round out the menu, sourced from UK-based Quorn, adding a satisfying chicken alternative. Adhering to rigorous standards and unique cooking methods, Heierling's menu places equal value on quality and expediency while maintaining a focus on ensuring that the integrity of the items isn't compromised from kitchen to doorstep.

"At sbe, we are continuously driven by culinary innovation and Sam's Crispy Chicken fully exemplifies that commitment," stated Chef Heierling. "This new brand is an extension of our artisanal approach to the craft as seen through everything from our cooking methods to our culinary partners."    

A similar thought level was also applied to the manner in which Sam's Crispy Chicken arrives to consumers. For more than a year, sbe Chef Heierling worked tirelessly with award-winning creative marketing agency Digital Kitchen to engineer bespoke, carbon-neutral packaging for the concept that is both eye-catching and innovative, maintaining the quality and flavor of the food throughout the delivery process.

Sam's Crispy Chicken is currently available for delivery daily from 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. through Postmates, UberEats, Doordash, GrubHub, Seamless, Caviar platforms.

About C³

C³ is being launched as a partnership between sbe; Simon, a global leader in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations; and Accor, the world-leading augmented hospitality group offering unique experiences in more than 5,000 hotels and residences across 110 destinations. By combining sbe's ability to build and grow successful, award-winning food and beverage concepts, Simon's extensive real estate footprint and Accor's international hotel base of 5,000 global properties, C³ is enviably positioned to be the leader and pioneer in this space.

About sbe

Established in 2002 by Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately-held, leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. Through exclusive partnerships with cultural visionaries, sbe is devoted to creating extraordinary experiences throughout its proprietary brands with a commitment to authenticity, sophistication, mastery and innovation. Following the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, the pioneer of boutique lifestyle hotels, in partnership with Accor, sbe has an unparalleled global portfolio which will see 36 hotels and over 200 global world-renowned culinary, nightlife and entertainment venues by the end of 2020. The company is uniquely positioned to offer a complete lifestyle experience - from nightlife, food & beverage and entertainment to hotels and residences, and through its innovative customer loyalty and rewards program, The Code, as well as its award-winning international real estate development subsidiary, Dakota Development - all of which solidify sbe as the preeminent leader across hospitality. The company's established and upcoming hotel brands include SLS Hotel & Residences, Delano, Mondrian, The Redbury, HYDE Hotel & Residences, and The House of Originals. In addition, sbe has the following internationally acclaimed restaurants and lounges under subsidiary Disruptive Restaurant Group: Katsuya by Chef Katsuya Uechi, Umami Burger, Cleo, Fi'lia, Carna by Dario Cecchini, Leynia and Diez y Seis by Chef José Icardi, HYDE Lounge, S Bar, Doheny Room, Nightingale, Skybar, Bond, and Privilege. To learn more, visit sbe.com.

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SOURCE Sam's Crispy Chicken