As the pandemic has prompted more people to order delivery and takeout so they can dine in the comfort and safety of their own homes, there has been a rise in ghost kitchens across the nation. A ghost (or virtual) kitchen is a restaurant model that offers off-premise food sales without a traditional dine-in space. As the owner of Wildflower, a 25-year-old beloved Arizona brand, I saw an opportunity to innovate through this trend and recently launched a completely new Asian-inspired ghost kitchen concept called NOBANA.
The name NOBANA culturally translates to “wildflower” in Japanese, and the menu explores a variety of Asian flavors, naturally incorporating vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. It offers flavor-packed bone broth and gluten-free noodle bowls, salads and wraps, and operates out of the Sonora Village Wildflower location in North Scottsdale. This allows it to be a less-expensive restaurant model since it utilizes the existing Wildflower kitchen, breadheads (aka employees) and some of the same ingredients to create the NOBANA offerings.
At Wildflower, we have always taken an unexpected, elevated and thoughtful approach to the guest experience. As we’ve continued to grow and innovate, launching a new venture was a natural progression for us and we are excited to deliver the new flavors of NOBANA with the same level of quality and value our guests love about Wildflower.
NOBANA currently serves the North Scottsdale area with delivery and takeout via DoorDash, UBER Eats and Postmates. It is considering expanding to additional Wildflower locations around the Valley later this year.
Louis Basile is founder and owner of Wildflower.
Did You Know: In February, Wildflower founder and owner Louis Basile was named one of “The Most Influential Restaurant Executives in the Country” according to Nation’s Restaurant News readers.
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