**Partnership extends C3’s mission to build community through a mutual love of quality food, with plans to roll out C3’s popular Umami Burger menus in select Black Angus kitchens across America**
**The partnership gives Black Angus access to C3’s GO by Citizens app, proprietary data, digital-kitchen platform, and globally recognized chef inspired and award-winning culinary brands**
Miami, FL – (August 30, 2022) – Creating Culinary Communities (C3), the fastest-growing food tech platform, founded by Sam Nazarian, has today announced a partnership with Black Angus Steakhouse, the iconic American steakhouse chain with 39 restaurant locations nationwide. C3 is re-imagining the food service industry with a brand-first approach through its established brick-and-mortar shared kitchens, digital restaurants, and Citizens culinary markets, bringing globally recognized chef inspired and award-winning culinary brands to customers across C3 established joint ventures, shared kitchens, and mobile delivery.
Black Angus’ partnership with C3 comes on the heels of the restaurant group announcing a reopening rollout strategy across America. The partnership is made possible by tech aggregator Chowly, a leading point-of-sale (POS) integration company that seamlessly unifies online orders from third-party marketplaces, including C³’s GO by Citizens, into one point of sale through its’ superior menu management technology.
“The partnership between Black Angus and C3 is another burgeoning success story for virtual restaurants,” said Sterling Douglass, CEO and Founder of Chowly. “This is another example of Chowly working with restaurants to keep them ahead of the curve. Our extensive knowledge of the space and deep relationships put us in such an advantageous position and we are thrilled to see C3’s relationship with Black Angus empower this restaurant group to remain nimble in the ever-changing restaurant landscape.”
With added offerings comes added revenue streams. The deal between C3 and Black Angus provides a sizeable opportunity for expanding kitchen utilization capacity and generating revenue up to an additional $1 million per Black Angus restaurant outlet. Black Angus patrons can now gain access to C3’s famed Umami Burger through virtual kitchens across California, Washington, and Arizona. Coined “America’s Best Burger” by GQ Magazine, Umami Burger recently unveiled a completely revamped and revitalized menu by celebrated Chef Alvin Cailan, host of The Burger Show on YouTube.
The partnership will also extend upon Black Angus’ third-party ordering capabilities, including the introduction of C3’s GO by Citizen ordering platform — entering untapped Millennial and Gen Z customer bases in surrounding areas of participating Black Angus locations. With an ingrained emphasis on catering to these audiences, C3 recognized the importance of Gen-Z’s economic power, which is the fastest growing of all generational cohorts and one of the major demographics reshaping the landscape of food and beverage.
Commenting on the partnership, Sam Nazarian, Founder and CEO of C³, said, “The partnership between C3 and Black Angus further validates our position as an industry leader, bringing untapped and additional revenue opportunities to our partners. We’re thrilled to work alongside Deborah Shapiro, and her team at Black Angus, to further expand our celebrated brand, Umami Burger, to new locations and digital restaurants across the U.S.”
Adding to this sentiment, Deborah Shapiro, VP of Growth at Black Angus Steakhouse, said, “We’re excited to embark on this new partnership with C³ to enable us to reach outside of the box of our current consumer and tap further into the virtual restaurant space. Using the talent of our veteran chefs in new ways has been an integral part of our growth strategy at Black Angus. We believe that working with Sam Nazarian and his team at C³ to share their popular Umami Burger concept with our footprint will provide a mutually beneficial relationship for both groups, and we look forward to collaborating together.”
Founded in 1964, Black Angus is considered America’s original steakhouse, with restaurants that pay homage to western cattle rancher roots. As a heritage brand, Black Angus has restaurants throughout the country with outposts in Washington, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii. Popular menu items include premium certified angus beef steaks, twin lobster tails, shrimp platters, and signature cocktails such as their square cow cooler.
Black Angus currently has 32 restaurant locations and ships their fresh meats nationwide. All of the quality Black Angus Steakhouse proteins are hand-cut daily and available for market purchase. The average tenure of a Black Angus Steakhouse chef is over 20 years, this veteran talent not only ensures the quality and consistency of their own steakhouse food but is the catalyst in partnerships such as the relationship with C3.. C3 has more than 40 culinary brands, serving more than 1.3 million meals during the last twelve months and with menus inspired by world-renowned chefs. C3’s chef partners include Katsuya Uechi, Dani Garcia, Masaharu Morimoto, Dario Cecchini, Shimi Aaron and Ralph Perrazzo, as well as a collection of leading digital creators, influencers and celebrities. To date, C3 has hired more than 3,500 employees across the U.S. with plans to hire another 5,000 employees domestically and internationally with offices in Miami, Los Angeles, New York, London, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
About C3
C3 (Creating Culinary Communities) is re-imagining the food service industry at a time when change is needed most. Founded and led by visionary Sam Nazarian with minority investors Simon, a global leader in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations, and Accor, the world-leading augmented hospitality group, C3 is simultaneously, systematically and broadly bringing together technology, underutilized retail, hotel and kitchen spaces and world-class culinary talent. C3’s culinary brands co-exist to disrupt the food & beverage industry by capitalizing on rapidly evolving customer preferences through C3-established shared kitchens, Citizens culinary markets, and mobile delivery with the next-gen Go by Citizens app. Current C3 brands include Umami Burger,Krispy Rice,Sam’s Crispy Chicken,Kumi, Sa’Moto, EllaMia,Cicci di Carne,Plant Nation,El Pollo Verde, Stonie Bowls and more. Additionally, C3 has partnered with California-basedSoom Fresh Mediterranean and famed Miami cookie purveyorCindy Lou’s Cookies. As of June 2022, C3 operates 800 digital kitchens across the U.S. To learn more, visit c3sbe.com.
About Black Angus Steakhouse
Black Angus Steakhouse has been mastering its craft since it was founded in Washington in 1964. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Black Angus has 32 locations across California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii but services customers nationwide. The restaurants pay homage to its Western cattle rancher roots by offering the finest Certified Angus Beef® and USDA Choice steaks and burgers, in addition to seafood, salads, sides and desserts for the entire family. The bar serves a robust menu of craft beer, wine and hand-crafted cocktails and offers live music every Friday. The 21-day aged hand-cut meats are also available for take-home and ship-to-home purchase nationwide. More information is available online at BlackAngus.com or follow Black Angus on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @BASteakhouse.
About Chowly
Chowly is a leading point-of-sale (POS) integration company that enables restaurants to expand and maintain a diverse set of off-premise capabilities. Chowly seamlessly integrates online ordering solutions—such as Third-Party Marketplaces which include Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates; Third-Party Menu Management using POSsync technology; and Direct Order with Google, an integration for orders placed on Google search, Google assistant, or Google pay—directly into a Restaurants’ POS system. Additionally, Chowly provides all of the tools necessary to launch a successful Virtual Restaurant using existing kitchen space. Chowly continues to develop efficient solutions for the ever-changing challenges that restaurants face, solidifying the company’s mission to simplify technology for their 12,000+ restaurant partners. For more information, visit Chowly.com or follow @Chowlyinc.
