SushiDog widens reach with virtual kitchens

Fusion brand SushiDog has launched a second virtual kitchen, in partnership with Deliveroo and Kitopi, MCA understands.

The sushi handroll concept, which has a kiosk at Westfield London, is now operating from the Foodstars kitchen in Bethnal Green, giving it access to Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Liverpool Street, Spitalfields and Farringdon.

The brand is also serving from the Battersea Deliveroo Edition in Culvert Place, and is understood to have a second standalone site under offer in the West End.

SushiDog uses sushi-style ingredients such as raw salmon, rice, cucumber and wasabi – as well as other Japanese ingredients, such as chicken katsu and prawn tempura, to appeal to the portion of the market who refuse to eat raw fish.

The quick service model works like a burrito bar, with servers trained over a few days, and ingredients coming in pre-prepped and ready to roll.

After opening a second site Ilsen told MCA, the plan was to secure investment for the next stage of growth – which includes a plan for three sites next year, and two the year after.

He said: “The three-year plan is to have seven sites operational and up and running.”

Kitopi cooks food on behalf of brands from its delivery-only kitchens, and received £22.3m series A funding from UAE-based Crescent Enterprises.

Kitchen renter Foodstars is owned by Uber founder Travis Kalanick’s City Storage.