Photo courtesy of Munch
Audio By Carbonatix
Munch, a virtual food hall devised by chef Aaron Dreilinger, is up and running in Coconut Grove.
The combination food hall/ghost kitchen hybrid offers counter service and six different food concepts to choose from, including 2Korean Girls by Jennifer and Michele Kaminski and Baba G’s, Dreilinger’s own take on Middle Eastern food made with homemade sauces and products from Zaytouna Foods.
Dreilinger bought the venue so he could expand operations for Florida Avenue Hospitality, the wedding catering business he has been running for 15 years. But when COVID hit, large gatherings were canceled and business ground to a halt.
“‘What am I going to do here’? I asked myself,” Dreilinger tells New Times. “Colleagues and friends who were in the industry said, ‘We need a kitchen – a space to work in right now,’ so we invited in a couple of people. The industry was going towards delivery and pickup even before COVID. Diners were already ordering food by phone, so we thought: Why not, we’ll test the waters. This could be one big restaurant, but maybe we can put like eight in here instead.”
At first, the space was occupied solely by 2Korean Girls. Partners Jennifer and Michele Kaminsky opened their virtual restaurant in December 2020 in the Coconut Grove space, with help from veteran chef Allen Susser. When that proved a success, Dreilinger knew he was on to something.
Joining forces with Srinath Perera, a former executive for Yum! Brands, Burger King, and Reef Technologies, Dreilinger drew inspiration from his experience as corporate chef for Celebrity Cruise Lines and reached out to other entrepreneurs. Each food station is essentially its own restaurant and the staff is cross-trained to work in all of them.
“I thought that if we applied cruise-ship mentality and brands worked from the same commissary kitchen, we would all be sharing the process,” he explains. “Brands can do their own marketing, packaging and we serve as the operators, Everyone needs help right now.”
The space has seating capacity for 50 dine-in guests and Munch’s app allows customers to order from multiple concepts at once for delivery or takeout.
In addition to Baba G’s and 2Korean Girls, the roster includes Saucy Flamingo (chicken wings and gastropub offerings) and Stache Burger, a collaboration with the Florida Fresh Beef company. Completing the lineup are the Dumpling Lady and Pup and Pantry, a local producer of homemade organic dog treats and food like “pupghetti” and meatballs.
Guests can also enjoy local beers on tap from Miami Brewing Co., Veza Sur, Cigar City Brewing, Funky Buddha, and others.
“There’s room for more”, says Dreilinger, who wants to keep incorporating “local brands with a heart” into the Munch family.
“If you are a local brand, we want to meet you and sell your food,” he says. “We have capacity to add a couple more to the Grove location, and the idea is to replicate the concept in different areas with different specialty offerings.”
Munch. 2801a Florida Ave., Miami; 305-469-2788; eatatmunch.com. Open Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 to10 p.m. for dinner, Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 11 p.m. for dinner, and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m.
