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Flavortown has a 206 area code now. Mega-popular Food Network host Guy Fieri recently launched a chain of delivery-only restaurants/ghost kitchens across the U.S., including one right here in Seattle that plans to operate out of a Buca di Beppo location in South Lake Union. One can check out the menu at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, which should start accepting orders next Wednesday, February 17.
As one might expect from the flashy Food Network host, the offerings are chock full of party-friendly snacks, such as bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, cheesesteak egg rolls, and wings slathered in Fieri’s bourbon brown sugar barbecue sauce. There’s also a lineup of burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and salads, as well as a couple of desserts, including the ominous-sounding “cheesecake challenge,” a hefty slice topped with salted potato chips, crushed pretzels, and thick fudge sauce.
Fieri’s Seattle retail presence may be new, but his “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” show has highlighted such local spots as Mike’s Chili Parlor and Wood Shop BBQ in the past. This also isn’t the first time a celebrity-endorsed ghost kitchen has descended on the city. Back in December, Mariah Carey’s Cookies came to town, spreading some of the pop singer’s branded holiday cheer. Both that operation and Fieri’s come from the same company, Virtual Dining Concepts. Like Carey’s cookie “shop,” Flavortown Kitchen has outposts from coast to coast, covering more than 20 different cities.
It’s no coincidence that the two delivery-only kitchens are parked in the same Buca di Beppo spot. The national Italian restaurant chain is under the stewardship of Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl, who co-owns Virtual Dining Concepts. It stands to reason, then, that there may be more on the way, should they find success here.
