In late 2016, Musk launched Square Roots,
Elon's brother Kimbal Musk has a plan to challenge TGI Friday's and Applebee's in the battle for millennials in Middle America
Kimbal Musk (the younger brother of Elon) wants to revolutionize the way America eats
His longest-running food ventures, are two The Kitchen and its affordable counterpart, Next Door. The chains, which first opened a little over a decade ago, serve dishes made strictly with locally-sourced meat and veggies.
Now, he tells Business Insider that he plans to expand the Next Door chain to cities in at least a half-dozen Midwestern and southern states, including Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arkansas. Though Next Door only has three locations right now, Musk aims to open 50 more locations by 2020. By the end of 2017, six locations will open, with the next one in Memphis in May.
The prices for Next Door's entrees average $10, and sides cost around $5, which is comparable to other farm-to-table restaurants like Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and Dig Inn. Unlike these grab-and-go chains, however, Musk says that the new Next Door locations will be places for "Millennials to hang out." To create that atmosphere, the restaurants will offer full table service, happy hour, patio space, and weekly events.
Featuring items like wild coho salmon and roasted veggie salad, the new menus' items will differ depending on the location and time of year. Musk's team will customize every menu based on what local purveyors can grow or raise — so that the farmer both makes a profit and the restaurant can keep its prices relatively low.
An existing location in Denver, for example, offers beet burgers, because it's easy for Colorado farmers to grow beets at scale.
Musk has been building relationships with farmers and developing the new menus for the past five years.
"Farmers are very cautious, by their very nature. They're always going to deal with weather, or they're going to deal with government changing its mind on one thing or the other. It's a tough life being a farmer," he says. "We work very closely with them, and they've learned to trust us over the years."
"We don't have that many gathering places that are affordable for the younger generation. They don't really resonate with the existing players like TGI Fridays and Applebees — they just don't resonate with those brands anymore," he says. "I think we found a really powerful niche where we create the gathering place, people break bread with their friends in the restaurant, and if they want, they can take that food home."
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