Chicagoans can now get curated dishes from Bon Appétit delivered through a new virtual restaurant being operated by Grubhub and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
Bon Appétit, the New York-based food magazine, has opened a test kitchen in Chicago, where it creates dishes in collaboration with Lettuce Entertain You, the local restaurant group that owns Big Bowl and Ramen-San. Consumers can order Bon Appétit's meals through Chicago-based online food delivery company Grubhub.
"For those times when you just don't want to cook, we're making our favorite things to eat right now available for delivery," said Bon Appétit Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport in a statement.
Dishes, available for lunch and dinner, include cauliflower bolognese, broccoli caesar salad, lemon and garlic roasted chicken thighs with warm honey glazed brussel sprouts, and cider braised pork shoulder with butternut squash.
Bon Appétit says its menu items are made with seasonal ingredients, and can be delivered Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and on weekends from 3:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
This is the second delivery-only concept that Lettuce Entertain You and Grubhub have partnered on in Chicago. Just last month, the two companies opened a virtual Whole30 restaurant in the city.
"We are thrilled to work with a partner of Bon Appétit's caliber to bring a menu that will excite our diners," said Padma Rao, vice president of special projects at Grubhub, in a statement. "This concept is a great example of how LEYE and Grubhub are pursuing creative, exclusive concepts to bring more variety to diners."
Virtual kitchens have become popular in recent years thanks to food delivery companies, like Grubhub, UberEats and DoorDash. Chicago startup 2nd Kitchen launched last year to allow businesses without kitchens, like bars, breweries, smoke lounges and bowling alleys, to set up their own virtual kitchens by serving food from nearby restaurants. 2nd Kitchen raised $1.3 million earlier this year.
