Wiz Khalifa bringing delivery-only restaurant to Pittsburgh

A macaroni and cheese dish called “Mac and Yellow,” a “Taylor Gang turkey burger” and “blazed ends” brisket meal — all homemade dishes designed by Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa.

And they’ll be available Oct. 1 when the multi-platinum recording artist opens Hotbox by Wiz, a chain of delivery-only restaurants coming to Pittsburgh, as well as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Denver, Indianapolis and Houston. Khalifa is reportedly taking requests from his fans to add other cities across the U.S.

Khalifa is collaborating with Nextbite, a company that joins professional kitchens with partners that handle deliveries. It’s all part of the “ghost kitchen” industry featuring kitchens that only serve delivery customers.

“The ‘ghost kitchen’ is a popular craze because of the low cost involved in starting it up, the ease of operation and minimal employees. It avoids a lot of the problems restaurants have to deal with,” said Ron Sofranko, a Wexford-based bar and restaurant consultant and co-owner of the Walnut Grill restaurant chain. “An average Walnut Grill might have 55 to 60 employees. A ‘ghost kitchen’ might have five.”

For Hotbox by Wiz, Nextbite has already lined up Grubhub, Uber Eats, Doordash and Postmates to deliver Khalifa’s signature meals.

Mark F. Flaherty, a prominent Pittsburgh restaurant lawyer who also represents delivery services, said he thinks Khalifa is on to something.

“He’s on the right track. People’s habits have changed for the foreseeable future. Right now (due to the pandemic) takeout and delivery are the only really vibrant sector of the (restaurant) market and if you design a concept that focuses energies in that direction, as opposed to the bricks and mortar dine-in location, it’s much easier,” Flaherty said.

Sofranko said the key to whether Khalifa succeeds hinges on how good the food is and the quality of service.

“Everybody is delivering now. So the key for Wiz Khalifa is if he can use his brand, his name, and have great quality food with low overhead, he can be profitable,” said Sofranko. “That’s the trick with celebrity food venues. A lot have failed over the years because the celebrity name carries it only so far. If people say ‘wow that’s the best mac and cheese, the best burger I’ve ever had, he can succeed.”

The question remains however; will the takeout and delivery options, such as Hotbox by Wiz, remain as strong a force on the restaurant scene once the covid-19 crisis has eased and people feel more comfortable going to restaurants again?

“There’s room for both types of concepts. There’s a real niche there because it’s convenient for a lot of people and we’re in a culture now where people want to pick up their phone and punch a few buttons and have the food appear. One concept won’t kill the other,” said Flaherty.

“The pie will grow. After covid there will still be a niche for that type of business because people are realizing they like having the (takeout/delivery) option.”