Unless you are living under a rock, you have probably witnessed how much the Restaurant Industry has changed in the past few years. Especially, the way in which food delivery has become popular in the past few years is simply mindblowing. In fact, did you know that around 66% of individuals enjoy having their food delivered instead of dining at restaurants? Evidently, the buzz surrounding ghost kitchens is quite apparent, and restauranteurs are joining this movement. However, if you are still scratching your head wondering what they are don’t worry. Our Restaurant Consultants are here to break it down for you and explain why these virtual kitchens are becoming the future of dining.
A ghost kitchen or a cloud kitchen is a food preparation space that’s designed solely for the purpose of fulfilling online orders. You might have a full-fledged restaurant with seating space, but you cannot deny the fact that a large proportion of your customer base prefers online orders and takeouts.
This is where ghost kitchens exist to make things simpler. They are purely for cooking and packaging food that’s then delivered directly to the customers. So, why are ghost kitchens becoming popular? Let’s delve into the reasons.
Services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub have made ordering food from your phone or computer super convenient. But what does that mean for traditional restaurants? Well, it means that traditional restaurants should also diversify their offerings and look for new ways to meet demand without investing in a physical dining space. This is where ghost kitchens prove to be a win-win because they allow food brands to skip the overhead costs of brick-and-mortar locations while still tapping into the growing demand for delivery.
Let’s admit it: running a full-scale restaurant is expensive. From the rent for prime real estate to utilities, interior design, waitstaff, and management costs, everything can add up and lead to losses. However, ghost kitchens are located in less expensive areas or even in shared spaces with other kitchen operators. Without the need for a storefront or front-of-house staff, operators can focus their budget on quality ingredients and efficient kitchen operations.
Ghost kitchens offer incredible flexibility. You can run multiple brands or concepts out of one kitchen, each with its own delivery-only menu. Imagine a single kitchen space serving everything from pizza to Asian fusion to vegan comfort food, all for different delivery services. It allows brands to test out new concepts without the long-term commitment of opening another restaurant. If something works well, you can scale up quickly.
Want to move the operations of your restaurants to the ghost front, or do you just want to integrate your conventional services with a ghost kitchen and don’t know where to get started with the budgeting, equipment, workforce, etc? Reach out to the Cloud Kitchen Consultants at Bistro Brain today and set your first foot forward toward the future of the restaurant industry!
