Viral Food Categories
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A breakdown of how to create viral food products using 5 specific formulas, as explained by Sam Parr who analyzed viral food trends.
The 5 Viral Food Categories
- Side Dish to Main Event
- Take items typically served as sides/accompaniments
- Make them the primary focus
- Examples:
- Cookie dough ice cream (just cookie dough)
- Fondue-only restaurants
- Shape Modifications
- Take familiar foods and alter their shape
- Make shapes ridiculous or unexpected
- Size Variations
- Make regular items extremely large or small
- Example: Bob's Donuts oversized offerings
- Color Transformations
- Add unexpected colors to familiar foods
- Examples:
- Rainbow bagels
- Green ketchup
- Food Mashups
- Combine two distinct food items
- Examples:
- Cronuts (croissant + donut)
- Doritos Locos Tacos
Distribution Strategy
-
Initial distribution through:
- Thrillist
- Buzzfeed
- Own social media handles
-
Physical Implementation:
- Small shop in Brooklyn/Manhattan
- Create lines/scarcity
- Run for ~3 months
- Switch to new concept
- Keep successful items as permanent offerings
Business Model
- Operate as a "hit machine"
- Build knowing products are temporary
- Create constant viral sensations
- Rotate concepts seasonally
- Keep successful items as permanent franchises
This approach is similar to Supreme's model for food - creating limited, scarce offerings that generate buzz and lines, then moving on to the next viral sensation.
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.