REEF KITCHENS, a division of REEF Technology, and della bowls announced a partnership that will provide expanded service of della’s affordable, plant-based bowls to more customers in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. By leveraging REEF’s delivery-only kitchens, della bowls has launched a newly-opened hub in Fort Lauderdale, with an Aventura delivery hub set to open this fall.
Entrepreneur Della Heiman launched the fast-casual restaurant at The Wynwood Yard, which she also founded, in November 2015. The concept was ranked the No. 1 Food Truck in Miami by The Miami New Times in 2016, and ranked #1 across all restaurants in Wynwood in 2016, based on Yelp user reviews.
When the property leased by The Wynwood Yard was sold, REEF KITCHENS approached della bowls to help revive the brand’s service model with REEF’s delivery-only kitchen program. As the Yard approached its closing date, REEF enabled della bowls to continue providing delivery to customers in zones extending out of Downtown Miami.
“We believe, along with REEF, that delivery-only kitchens represent a very large, exponentially growing segment of food consumption in the United States,” Heiman says. “This spares operators the high operational costs associated with a brick-and-mortar restaurant.”
Heiman sees parallels between The Wynwood Yard’s mission as a low-barrier culinary incubator and the REEF KITCHENS mission as an operational scaffold to culinary entrepreneurs in cities with high costs and limited space.
della bowls currently provides delivery from REEF’s delivery-only kitchen via Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates. The food is prepared in REEF KITCHENS, with recipes and quality checks by Heiman and COO/Chef Julie Frans to ensure a consistent, high production value.
“We’re really excited to be working with REEF, because their visionary team is allowing us to take our mission much further – faster. REEF’s model provides the opportunity for us to keep the operation consistent and more efficient, all while reaching more customers than we ever could through a brick-and-mortar expansion strategy,” says Heiman.
With the tremendous growth of on-demand food delivery, REEF Technology created last-block, delivery-only REEF KITCHENS as a key component of their hubs. Restaurants partner with REEF KITCHENS to open and quickly expand their businesses while also providing more food options and faster delivery at a lower cost to customers. State-of-the-art kitchens are housed onsite, with each one able to accommodate up to five restaurant brands or concepts. Restaurants can run operations directly or contract with REEF to staff and prepare delivery-only menu items.
“We are delighted to partner with della bowls, allowing the Miami and Fort Lauderdale communities to enjoy this local eatery while increasing accessibility to healthy, affordable meals,” adds Alan Cohen, Chief Marketing Officer of REEF Technology. “This partnership demonstrates how REEF uses innovative technology to connect people to the businesses they love, without the many challenges that accompany traditional brick-and-mortar expansion.”
della bowls plans to open its first brick-and-mortar storefront at The Doral Yard at Downtown Doral when the property opens in early 2020. In the meantime, fans in the current delivery zone can order via these delivery apps and follow della bowls on Instagram and Facebook for updates regarding new delivery zones.