Dog Haus plans to grow its virtual brands in 2022.
Founded in 2010 in Pasadena, Calif., Dog Haus’ traditional brick and mortar locations focus on premium hot dogs. But in 2020, the company moved into the virtual restaurant space to expand and diversify its operation. It operates virtual restaurants under the Absolute Brands moniker. Absolute Brands houses six virtual brands — Dog Haus, Bad Ass Breakfast Burritos, Bad Mutha Clucka, Plant B, Jailbird and Big Belly Burgers. The goal is to grow the off-premises portion of the business.
It originally started with eight locations and found initial success. Now, Dog Haus has 51 virtual locations through partnerships with Kitchen United and CloudKitchens. The company says it plans to increase that number to 75 in 2022 and plans to expand a partnership with concert promoter Live Nation.
“We continue to add outstanding new franchisees, and the majority of our existing franchise partners are actively searching for additional locations,” Partner Quasim Riaz said. “Between virtual kitchens, Live Nation venues and brick-and-mortar restaurants, we’ve paved several creative avenues for Dog Haus to rapidly expand in the coming years. We can’t wait to introduce our award-winning experience to more markets across the country.”
The brand has made a name for itself in the growing plant-based protein category by leaning into its longstanding partnerships with Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Notably, in late 2021, Dog Haus collaborated with Impossible Foods to launch the first-ever plant-based delivery-only concept — The Impossible Shop.
“Dog Haus continues to defy what was once thought possible within the traditional four walls of a restaurant,” Partner Hagop Giragossian said. “We thrive on pushing the boundaries and setting new expectations within the fast-casual industry through our original menu-innovation strategies and new business alliances. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve created with pioneering brands like Kitchen United, Impossible Foods and Live Nation that will play a big part in Dog Haus scaling new heights in 2022.”
