By BODE RAMSAY
Courtesy of Virtual X Kitchen
The owner of a College Park virtual kitchen – a carry-out and delivery-only restaurant – has added a chai tea shop to its selection of Pakistani, Mexican, Indian and American-inspired food.
Virtual X Kitchen, at 5110 Roanoke Place, is the hub for four restaurants owned by College Park chef Nomie Hamid. Diners can order their food online, in person from a kiosk, or through delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats – but the venue has no table service.
“It’s great,” Hamid, who lives in College Park, said of the virtual kitchen business model. “It’s successful, and I feel like more people should be doing it because it makes so much more sense.”
Hamid opened the business after his lone sit-down restaurant, Krazi Kebob, in downtown College Park, closed at the beginning of the pandemic. He had owned the restaurant for more than a decade.
“Our lease was ending for Krazi Kebob downtown, and so we had to move and I just took a shot at it and it worked,” Hamid said about switching to a virtual kitchen model.
After making the change, the business was instantly profitable, largely because Krazi Kebob already had a following of loyal customers, Hamid said.
Since then, Hamid has opened three additional virtual restaurants within Virtual X Kitchen, including Krazi Burrito, Krazi Chick and The Kabob Joint. He added Boba Chai Barista, the tea shop, to the group in late July.
“Hey, if you’re busy, you’re sitting in a meeting and you just want to go online and order something, or you’re home you don’t feel like talking to someone and you want to go and place an order, go ahead,” Hamid said. “But if you want to talk to us, you pick up the phone and call us.”
Krazi Kebob, the most popular of the restaurants, features Indian and Pakistani flavors “served in a Mexican way,” according to Hamid. He serves the kabobs Mexican style with the meat chopped up in a line on top of rice and other toppings instead of on a skewer like a traditional kabob.
The Kabob Joint, on the other hand, offers Pakistani-style kabobs on skewers with naan, veggies or samosas – spicy potatoes stuffed inside of fried dough.
Customers who don’t want kabobs can order from Krazi Burrito, which has a Tex-Mex menu, or Krazi Chick, which serves wings, fried chicken and chicken sandwiches.
Virtual X Kitchen also offers beverages from Boba Chai Barista, which serves teas and fruit slushies.
Additionally, Hamid caters. He also ships coffee beans roasted in the kitchen through Coffee Editor.
Maya Hoover, the marketing manager for Virtual X Kitchen, said she has “a very enjoyable job.”
“It always keeps you on your toes. Each day is always different,” Hoover added. “There’s just an amazing hands-on experience of creativity mixed with problem-solving. You always have something interesting to do within the day.”
Hamid said he and Hoover are “identical foodies” and love “people service.”
“We love helping people and we love food,” he said.
Hamid is well-known for his charity work, which the College Park City Council recognized with a proclamation in his honor on June 11.
“Nomie Hamid has made outstanding contributions toward inspiring and nurturing a welcoming and inclusive community,” Mayor Fazlul Kabir said at the meeting.
Hamid said he is considering opening a second Virtual X Kitchen location but “we have also been focusing on the nonprofit side to help youth and immigrants to get into the culinary trade.”
The chef also volunteers for Rotary International, a service organization that focuses on community health and development.
His kitchen also is planning a back-to-school drive, offering a free menu item to anyone who donates school supplies from a Prince George’s County-approved list.
