Grub Lab Raises $6M to Bring NBA, NFL and Hollywood IP to Independent Restaurants Nationwide

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 23, 2026--

Grub Lab, the Australian startup reinventing the traditional kids’ menu into a powerful in-venue engagement platform, today announced it has raised $6 million in new funding from Quantaco to accelerate its U.S. expansion and support a national brand launch featuring partnerships with the National Basketball Association, National Football League, Sony Pictures, and Universal Pictures.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323225291/en/

The funding will scale Grub Lab’s proprietary platform, which enables independent restaurants to offer licensed, interactive kids’ menus tied to major sports leagues and blockbuster franchises complete with QR-enabled augmented reality (AR) experiences, games, and exclusive retail offers.

A Critical Moment for Restaurants in 2026

America’s independent restaurant owners are navigating one of the most complex operating environments in decades:

According to recent industry data from the National Restaurant Association, operators report that traffic growth in 2026 remains uneven, with families in particular seeking venues that offer more than just a meal.

“Parents aren’t just buying chicken tenders anymore,” said Mick Carr, CEO of Grub Lab. “They’re buying 45 minutes of peace, entertainment for their kids, and a reason to come back. Restaurants need tools that help them compete for that experience.”

Reinventing the Kids’ Menu

The traditional black-and-white, photocopied kids’ menu has gone largely unchanged for decades. Grub Lab transforms it into a dynamic brand and engagement platform with:

The result: happier kids, happier parents, longer stays and more reasons to return.

Fresh menu editions are delivered every other month, ensuring restaurants always have something new, surprising, and collectible on their tables.

Through partnerships with national distributors and broker networks, Grub Lab enables restaurants, from regional chains to single-location operators, to access intellectual property typically reserved for global QSR giants.

Designed to Be Effortless for Operators

Grub Lab was built with independent operators in mind.

Restaurants customize their menu once, or as often as they like, through a simple online interface. Grub Lab then handles printing, production, and shipping. New editions arrive approximately every 60 days, ready to go.

No in-house designer.
No marketing team.
No extra work for staff.

“Major leagues and studios have historically partnered with brands like McDonald’s or Burger King,” Carr said. “We built a scalable platform so Betty’s Diner in Alabama or a five-unit concept in Atlanta can offer the same caliber of experience.”

Why This Matters Now

In 2026, consumer behavior is shifting in ways that directly impact restaurant profitability:

Grub Lab’s plug-and-play system addresses each of these pain points without requiring marketing teams, in-house designers, or digital developers.

“Our goal is simple,” said Carr. “Make it effortless for independent restaurants to offer big-brand experiences that drive repeat visits and increase ticket size.”

About Grub Lab

Grub Lab is a restaurant technology platform modernizing the kids’ dining experience through licensed sports and entertainment partnerships, interactive AR-powered digital extensions, and scalable print solutions. Founded in Australia, the company is expanding across the United States with partnerships spanning professional sports leagues and major entertainment studios.

Grub Lab delivers famous brands, fun games, exclusive offers, and fresh collectible menus every other month to help restaurants drive loyalty, repeat visits, and longer family stays without additional operational burden.

Visit www.grublab.co.

Forget the flimsy coloring sheets. Grub Lab delivers kids menus packed with digital games, fun activities and exclusive offers featuring the biggest sports & entertainment brands. Easy to customize. Printed and delivered to your door. Fresh menus arrive every other month.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)