Emerging fast-casual chain Dig Inn lopped off the second half of its name this week to better position the concept for growth through a variety of avenues, the company’s founder and CEO announced in a blog post Monday.
Dig, as it’s now called, received $15 million from restaurateur Danny Meyer’s investment fund earlier this year to expand the chain and grow its proprietary delivery service. Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments fund was part of a $20 million funding round for the concept.
The New York City-based farm-to-table chain, which had 24 units in April, expects to operate a total of 35 restaurants in three cities by the end of the year. Over the next 18 months, Dig plans to open units in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, launch its first full-service restaurant and debut a new delivery platform called Room Service, founder and CEO Adam Eskin said in the post.
Dig also plans to buy property in upstate New York to grow produce for its restaurants and build a training center, “a place where a new generation of cooks can learn how to grow and cook food without the burden of massive student debt,” Eskin wrote.
“In short, Dig has become more than a restaurant,” he wrote. “Back in 2011, we chose our name because it channeled our commitment to cooking from scratch. Dig Inn sounded homey and nostalgic, just like the food we wanted to cook. … Still, it’s time for us to cut our name in half and drop the wordplay.”
Dig saw its year-over-year sales grow 25.6% in 2018, according to a Technomic estimate.
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