Burger joint Pickl has become the first UAE restaurant to enter the metaverse.
The brand, which was founded in Dubai in 2019, has rapidly spread across the UAE, and will be launching a range of brand-themed games, Pickl NFTs and virtual apparel, which can be worn by your virtual avatar or exchanged for Pickl apparel in physical stores.
“We are excited to take our first steps into the metaverse with the launch of a digital Pickl,” said Pickl founder and chief executive Steve Flawith. “It’s the beginning of what we are sure will be a bright future for the brand in the virtual world.
“In the short term, we will be able to hold meetings with our international teams and showcase our brand to our franchise partners in the metaverse, giving us greater global reach than ever before."
The company also has plans to launch its first virtual restaurant later this year.
“In the future, we want our virtual restaurant to replicate the full customer experience of our real-world venues,” Flawith said. “We even plan to integrate it with delivery so customers can order their Nashville Chicken Sando or Double Cheeseburgers in the metaverse and then receive their burgers direct to their door — the full virtual-to-physical experience. We are actively exploring this possibility as we speak.”
With Pickl planning global expansion outside the UAE later this year, the company says cementing its place in the metaverse is a natural next step.
“Will we be selling virtual franchises of Pickl soon? Never say never — with virtual land prices rising and more opportunities opening up the different worlds in the Metaverse, the most profitable Pickls of the future could soon be virtual,” said chief licensing officer Ashley Griffiths.
Since its launch in JLT in 2019, the brand has opened a store in Dubai's Time Out Market, launched concept store An/Other by Pickl in City Walk, which pays tribute to the history of burgers, and opened two restaurants in Abu Dhabi. Later this year, it plans to expand to other parts of the GCC.
