“Very good, very fast, very noticeable.” This is how the hamburger company Vicio described its CEO, Oriol de Pablo, who considered that the brand “is not yet well known.” And this is what their market studies show: “Who people eat hamburgers for delivery In Barcelona, only 70% know who we are; “Only 3 out of 10 gave us a chance, but 2 out of 3 who tried us considered us their favorite hamburger,” De Pablo explains to ARA. However, he considers that they “still” have not done “anything.” What they aspired to do.
They haven't done anything yet, but they've already done a lot in just four years. “Vicio was opened in 2020 when everyone was closing,” in the middle of the pandemic, in a garage in La Bordita, in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona, by the award-winning Chef Alex Puig and De Pablo himself. In 2023, they closed the company with sales of €41.6 million – 119% more than in 2022, when they had sales of more than €19 million – and although they don't report profits, they say they closed the company with profits. EBITDA.
They already have 25 stores spread across Spain, and are achieving a new opening every month, a pace they have maintained since January 2022. “The challenge now is to open more restaurant premises,” says de Pablo, regarding the type of establishment they operate. You already have three.
“Vicio is much more than just Instagram”
“We are committed to cooking and satisfying, and always keep in mind that we are the ultimate in quality Burger “It came out of our kitchen,” De Pablo points out. The three pillars of the brand are, according to the CEO, “quality, technology to be able to do many operations very quickly, and an attractive brand.” In fact, the brand has soared thanks to its social media strategy during the pandemic, especially through Instagram, but De Pablo points out that “Vicio is much more than just Instagram, it's a business philosophy.”
Vicio ended 2023 with a turnover of €41.6 million, up 119%
“Initially, we spent a year focusing on three things: very good, very fast and very noticeable,” the co-founder explains. “We knew that if we did that we would have the ability to compete with the greats.” “The quality is very good, the technology and processes are very fast, and the brand that we have been able to spread widely is very popular,” he explains. “How do you get people to try you more? Explaining product attributes Our product is above all about quality and reliability. This has led us to break records month after month: in March, we served 306,000 customers.”
Going out as a home food chain during the pandemic had advantages, but it also carried risks: delivery “We grew a lot, but the competition was fierce,” he explains. “After four years, we're practically alone, because delivery “It is only profitable if you sell a lot, and we sell a lot because of our quality and processes, which are 4 times better than the industry average,” explains de Pablo.
De Pablo closes the door on selling the company in the short and medium term
Technology has been key to Vicio's growth as it has. The company created its own software, Delicever, that counts orders and indicates their whereabouts racer How much remains to reach… The goal is for the kitchen to produce while… racer. “At the same time, we also have cameras on the grills that tell the AI whether the hamburger is well or poorly cooked, and it ends up turning into a game, and we hold competitions between the kitchens of the best grillers,” explains the CEO. .
Their Delicever has become so popular in the industry that they have already received offers to buy it. “On two occasions they tried to buy the software from us and we were tempted, but in the end we said no, because that is what sets us apart,” explains de Pablo.
Potential sale?
In addition to Delicever, Vicio also has her own creative agency, Stick&Gum. “We are future professionals, and we are putting our grain of sand into structured catering for the future, which means focusing heavily on technology and differentiating ourselves,” de Pablo explains. Regarding their financing, a year ago they closed a €17 million round led by Iris Ventures, with Messi and Griezmann among its shareholders. For now, de Pablo says, “opening another round is not on the table.”
Regarding the possible sale of the company, the co-founder said definitively: “We have to be consistent, we have not yet done what we came to do, and we have a long way to go. However, in the future it could be the case that we pass on every fund,” he adds.
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