Can we just start off by saying that having the title of “one of the world’s first vegan fast food chains” is quite spectacular? No matter what happens, Globally Local (CANADA: GBLY) will always have that as bragging rights.
As the fast food and food delivery industries continue to thrive, veganism is on an unprecedented rise.
Blending the operational efficiency of a fast food restaurant with creative plant-based renditions of fast food favorites (such as the Big Mac) is bound to turn heads across the globe.
The details are sorted down to the second – products are created at specialized Odd Burger facilities, then sent to retail locations in such a form that their preparation takes a mere 60 seconds.
The locations are built to be compact, convenient, and easily accessible for food delivery drivers. For those venturing inside the restaurant, they are met with a friendly face, a bespoke customer experience, and a meal put together in 60 seconds or less.
Did we mention that each location can pump out thousands of dollars of sales per day with just 3 staff?
But enough on how genius this formula of theirs is, we have more important things to talk about.
The What Burger?
Perhaps the most important thing we will go over today is the rebranding and renaming of this vegan fast food joint.
On July 5, Globally Local will officially be rebranded as Odd Burger Corporation. The ticker on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange (TSX-V) will be changed to “ODD,” and the subsequent locations across Canada (and, soon, New York) will be called Odd Burger.
“Our decision to rebrand is an essential part of our strategy to create a global fast food chain that is able to connect with people everywhere,” said Globally Local CEO, James McInnes. “Being on the verge of expansion into new communities meant thinking about how to express who we are and what we stand for in a more meaningful and powerful way. We are proud to be doing things differently and reclaiming the notion of ‘odd,’ because changing the norm is what’s needed to solve the sustainability challenges in our food system.”
The rebrand doesn’t just stop at a name. The company worked with independent Toronto creative brand agency, Concrete, to develop the new identity.
New design elements will be incorporated into the company’s food packaging, signage, interior design, social media content, staff apparel, and merchandise.
Odd Burger’s new “personality” will include characters inspired by emojis, anthropomorphic chickpeas (which are the base of the patties), and a sleek black, white, and pink color scheme.
“Our challenge was to marry the associations we have surrounding traditional fast food with the forward-looking sensibilities in our shifting culture,” said John Pylypczak, President of Concrete. “We wanted to give Odd Burger a platform to increase awareness about important concepts like sustainability and animal protection. But at the same time, the brand conveys to the customer ‘we take these issues seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.'”
Globally Local currently operates a manufacturing facility where the fast food favorites are carefully designed and created using strategic ingredients, to replicate the classic meals you would get at your (old) favorite fast food spot.
Their two restaurants continue to operate with a dazzling array of efficiency, equipped with automated meal preparation, cashless point-of-sales systems, and a lean staff that can produce a meal in, of course, less than 60 seconds.
As this rollout continues happening and the company establishes itself within the stock market, there are – get this – 20 additional locations planned to open within the next 12 months.
Based in Toronto, their first leg of expansion across North America begins with their American equivalent of a big city…
The big apple.
The City of Dreams
At this point, we’re just going to start referring to Globally Local as Odd Burger because, well, we like it way more.
Odd Burger has engaged with a real estate firm in…
You guessed it, New York City.
“New York is the right place to introduce our vegan fast food concept to the United States and begin our expansion,” said Odd Burger CEO James McInnes. “Once an appropriate site is selected and permits issued, we expect our New York Odd Burger to be operational within three months.”
The real estate firm, Retail by MONA is going to handpick a location for Odd Burger’s Manhattan flagship restaurant. This marks their first step into the United States of America.
Odd Burger Manhattan will adhere to the company’s current blueprint: rapid service/production, compact smart kitchens, affordability, quick and concise employee training, and full accommodation for takeout and delivery.
Did you know? “Smart” kitchens are advanced cooking setups which involve several timesaving, efficient solutions to food production. This includes on-demand cooking technology, online ordering, self-checkout kiosks, and cashless transactions.
With the ongoing growth of plant-based restaurants in the world-renowned progressive restaurant hub known as Manhattan, we’ve got a good feeling about this expansion.
“The MONA team could not be more excited to help bring Odd Burger to New York City and we know they will have an extremely successful roll-out in Manhattan and beyond,” said Brandon L. Singer, CEO and founder of Retail by MONA. “Given the increased consumer interest in plant-based meals, as well as the ongoing disruption of retail real estate, this is the perfect time for Odd Burger to enter the New York City market and make a huge splash.”
Disclaimer: Globally Local Inc. is an Edge Investments communications client, and we own shares in the company.
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