A pizza lover discovered that the local pizzeria she thought she'd ordered from was actually Chuck E. Cheese, highlighting a popular tactic that many restaurants use

• A Reddit user was surprised to discover that the pizza she ordered from Pasqually's Pizza — what she thought was a local pizzeria — actually came from Chuck E. Cheese.
• A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson told Business Insider that Pasqually's Pizza is a new, delivery-only premium pizza brand operating from Chuck E. Cheese kitchens.
• The practice of operating multiple delivery brands from one restaurant kitchen is actually a common practice and has been for a while.
• Delivery-only brands make even more sense for chain restaurants with dine-in concepts that need to build their virtual presence during the pandemic, when delivery is key to a restaurant's survival.

Support local businesses — that's just what one Philadelphia Grubhub user wanted to do when she ordered from Pasqually's Pizza.

But when the pizza arrived, it looked just a little too familiar. As Food and Wine first reported, Reddit user kendallneff discovered that the pizza she thought she'd ordered from a local restaurant had actually come from Chuck E. Cheese.

Kendallneff posted the exchange with her Grubhub driver in the r/Philadelphia subreddit.

"Also, just curious... Was this food from Chuck E. Cheese?" she texted her driver after her food was delivered.

"There was the Chuck E Cheese store but the windows had the wing restaurant on them??? I was curious too!" the driver replied.

As it turns out, Pasqually is the name of the chef in the Chuck E. Cheese universe. And there are countless Pasqually's Pizza and Wings listings on delivery websites across the country.

A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson told Business Insider that Pasqually's Pizza & Wings is a delivery-only premium pizza brand operating from Chuck E. Cheese kitchens.

"Pasqually's Pizza & Wings, named after another favorite member of Munch's Make Believe Band, shares kitchen space with the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant, ensuring high-quality, fresh ingredients. Pasqually's Pizza & Wings' recipes use fresh, homemade pizza dough, just like Chuck E. Cheese, but it is a different pizza that features a thicker crust, extra sauce and new blends of cheeses and seasonings, giving consumers a more flavorful, more premium pizza experience," the spokesperson said.

Delivery-only secondary brands like Pasqually's Pizza & Wings are actually a common practice and have been for a while. Applebee's delivers food under the nom de plume "Neighborhood Wings" and Just Salad has a virtual brand targeted towards diners with dietary restrictions, Health Tribes. Dog Haus developed eight virtual brands it calls "The Absolute Brands."

While these secondary brands may seem nefarious, they're simply tools for brands looking to appeal to a wider audience in the virtual dining landscape. Third-party platforms typically allow restaurants to choose a limited number of categories, e.g.: pizza, comfort food, wings. Launching a secondary, delivery-only brand enables restaurants to expand what search categories they're able to reach, and hence a wider audience.

Just Salad CEO Nick Kenner told Business Insider that Health Tribes' sales have more than doubled since the pandemic began. "I think virtual brands are a great thing for restaurants to be exploring right now," Kenner said.

Pasqually's Pizza definitely isn't the first, and it won't be the last delivery-only brand launched by a major restaurant chain. Especially in the pandemic's delivery-based dining landscape, restaurants are grabbing as much of the delivery pie as they can get.