Applebee’s Launches Cosmic Wings, a Cheeto-Flavored Chicken Virtual Brand With 1,300 Locations

Image courtesy of businesswire.com.

Dine Brands Global Inc. announced on Wednesday that 1,300 Applebee’s stores across the U.S. would hop on the virtual brand trend with Cosmic Wings, a new fried-chicken concept centered around Cheeto-flavored fried chicken that will be exclusive to Uber Eats.

“The new Cosmic Wings menu is out-of-this-world delicious,” Chef Stephen Bulgarelli, culinary lead of Cosmic Wings said in a release. “We’ve packed it with fan-favorites like traditional and boneless wings and cheese bites smothered in a variety of sauce choices, including two exclusive Cheetos wing sauces that can’t be found anywhere else — dangerously cheesy Original Cheetos and Cheetos Flamin’ Hot wing sauce. All of these craveable combos are delivered right to your home!”

The new concepts makes Dine Brands the latest to cash in on the virtual brand trend. In December 2020, famous Youtuber MrBeast launched MrBeast Burger with 300 stores across the country. 

With 1,300 Applebee’s stores now serving as ghost kitchens for this Cheetos-associated brand, Dine Brands has upped the ante in the virtual brands arms race. 

Restaurant Business Online’s Jonathan Maze called MrBeast’s venture the “most important restaurant concept in the U.S. right now,” specifically because of the impact virtual brands could have on the future of the industry.

Essentially, having a virtual brand allows a concept to leapfrog the traditional market barriers. Cosmic Wings won’t have to pay for its own stores, kitchens or workers, but stands to establish itself as a viable brand independent of Applebee’s. 

If MrBeast Burger or Cosmic Wings see any real success, expect to see virtual brands emerge as the next big industry trend.