Franklin Junction, an innovative foodservice e-commerce solutions platform that matches underutilized kitchens with proven restaurant brands for incremental revenue opportunities, announced today its partnership alongside Nuchas, an American made but internationally inspired handheld food manufacturing company with up to 18 products in counting. The partnership will broaden Nuchas’ reach to all new consumers as the street food brand becomes exclusively available for virtual kitchen consumption through the Franklin Junction platform. Likewise, Host Kitchen® brand partners can create Nuchas’ product line to optimize their assets while driving revenue through delivery channels.
Behind the Nuchas handheld food evolution is Ariel Barbouth, an entrepreneur and foodservice industry veteran, who is making internationally handheld foods a mainstream phenomenon. Just over 10 years ago, Barbouth moved to New York City with his wife, Leni, and had a vision of bringing traditional Argentine empanadas to their new home. By 2011, the couple launched Nuchas in the middle of Times Square as one of four concepts granted street vendor access in the plaza. From there on, their original dream transformed from just traditional empanadas to building an entirely new category of gourmet handheld foods from every culture. Since then, they’ve opened two locations, launched a Vendy award winning food truck, debuted in two convention centers, have been featured on Shark Tank, and launched a direct to consumer platform shipping nationwide.
“I was fascinated with Nuchas from the moment I heard about the brand, from their incredible back story to the unique food they create using premium ingredients and knew there was immense potential for the brand to grow. I also instantly knew our platform would provide the perfect complement to their brand goals, seeing as their product is simple, delicious, and convenient to create, package, and deliver,” says Rishi Nigam, an executive at Franklin Junction. “It’s an honor to work with Ariel and the team to help elevate this emerging brand to the next level as they seek ways to reach an all new audiences in new markets.”
Unlike ghost kitchens, a Franklin Junction Host Kitchen® does not require new infrastructure to be built. The model utilizes an existing business’s own building, equipment, and employees to create an incremental revenue stream. Additionally, Franklin Junction’s proprietary technology leverages highly effective business intelligence reporting to execute a data-driven matching process that connects Hosts with Concepts from a carefully curated roster. Overall, the Franklin Junction Host Kitchen® model offers ultimate flexibility and can be used within a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, hotels, grocery and convenience stories, as well as non-traditional retail locations such as airports, convention centers, universities, and sporting venues. Nuchas plans to continue their conversion around non-traditional development across stadiums, arenas, and airports with Franklin Junction’s support, while also targeting Atlanta specifically for growth in the near future.
“Our carefully crafted empanadas are in good hands with Franklin Junction, considering they understand the passion behind our brand and the potential it offers foodservice operators in markets we have yet to reach,” adds Ariel Barbouth, founder and CEO of Nuchas.
