TastyUrban, a virtual restaurant franchise founded by the former co-founder and management team of Gorillas, a German grocery delivery startup, has raised €1.5 million in a funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and several strategic angels, including Alexander Artope and Ronny Shibley. TastyUrban is set to develop and license food brands to existing restaurants by partnering with international chefs to create delivery-first food concepts, with host restaurants gaining new revenue channels through its scalable licensing model. Its first brand, Birdie Birdie, is already accessible through eight restaurant partners in Berlin, with plans to expand across Germany and internationally.

“We are confident about solving a real issue for restaurateurs by optimising their kitchen performance and processes, and injecting innovative new food trends and concepts into underserved neighborhoods with the goal of becoming the largest virtual multi-brand restaurant franchise in Europe,” said Felix Chrobog, CEO of TastyUrban. The new funding will be used to roll out additional brands and cities across Germany, with international expansion planned for later this year.

TastyUrban provides a solution for many restaurants experiencing low capacity and declining sales by fully utilizing their kitchen space and generating significant monthly revenue without incurring additional costs. The company’s integrated network of large-scale producers and suppliers enables it to launch new restaurant partners within 1-2 weeks across Germany and other European markets, while its tech stack streamlines restaurant operations and digitizes an outdated industry. Philipp Semmer from Earlybird-X expressed confidence in TastyUrban’s founder and CEO, saying, “I have known Felix for many years and have always been impressed by his performance in the food delivery industry. I am convinced he is the right founder and CEO to take the virtual brands concept within this industry to the next level.”