Brassica owners eye growth after Chipotle investment
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Brassica's original Short North location. Photo: Courtesy Brassica
Fast-casual Mediterranean chain Brassica has become a Columbus favorite, but a recent investment from Chipotle signals change on the horizon.
Why it matters: Brassica's owners acknowledge the investment might make local diners nervous, but hope to prove that continued growth won't sacrifice quality.
The big picture: Brassica opened its original Short North location in 2015 as the most recent venture from brothers Kevin and Darren Malhame, owners of Northstar Cafe and Third & Hollywood.
- Now, there are five more locations in Bexley, Easton and Upper Arlington, as well as Cleveland suburbs Shaker Heights and Westlake.
Driving the news: Chipotle announced the investment in October through its $100 million early-stage investment venture fund, Cultivate Next.
- Kevin Malhame declined to share with Axios the specific amount, but did say it was a minority investment.
Context: Brassica hopes to avoid the fate of Hot Chicken Takeover, another popular local chain that sold to an investment company in 2021 and subsequently faced "brutal" criticism, the Dispatch reports.
- Hot Chicken Takeover was sold again more recently and is now openly asking former fans to give it another shot.
What they're saying: When news of the investment broke, fans and skeptics alike shared concerns over Brassica's future in Columbus Reddit threads.
- "Please don't ruin Brassica!" and "RIP brassica" are the top two comments in one thread.
- "Over/under on the first 'Brassica doesn't taste the same' thread is 97.5 days," said another. "What ya got? I'm taking under."
The other side: Kevin Malhame can "completely understand" why Brassica fans might be worried, but says the chain doesn't plan to change.
- He also calls private equity money that can cause a business to decline "totally unappealing" to the brothers.
- "That story replays itself over and over and over again," he says. "It is the story of our industry: emerging brands that have something special end up on some sort of fast-growth trajectory with an outside investor, and the next time you know it's not worth eating at or it's lost its magic."
What's next: Growth is coming, though the scope and timeframe is uncertain. Malhame sees a very high ceiling for the company.
- "The simpler a restaurant is, the more scalable it is," he says. "Brassica is, by several orders of magnitude, simpler than Northstar and Third & Hollywood … and I think Brassica is capable of being quite large."