The pandemic has changed the way we eat and order. And one day, your favorite restaurant may become a place you’ve never actually been to.
It’s the concept of a ghost kitchen, or virtual kitchen.
Hudson Rile, Senior Vice President of Research at the National Restaurant Association, said: “These are food processing areas that in many ways function like traditional restaurant kitchens, but they weren’t set up for the general public to attend.”
The pandemic has made them more popular as more people are ordering from their phones.
“This is largely driven by the ongoing demand from US consumers for convenient delivery food and beverage options,” he said.
Riehle explained that before the pandemic, one out of every 20 orders in the industry was digital.
“In the current pandemic environment, it’s down to one in five,” he said.
This is what restaurant industry leaders are paying more attention to and finding solutions.
For example, DoorDash recently announced Reopen for Delivery. This is a way to allow the restaurant to reopen through a delivery-only model in a commercial kitchen. The idea is not new. ClusterTruck has been in the delivery-only food business for over five years.
“100% of our business is delivery,” said Chris Baggott, CEO and co-founder of Clustertruck. “The fastest growing segment of food is the delivery of cooked food.”
ClusterTruck has been expanded to 7 locations.
“We make over 90 items, so we have Asian food, cheeseburgers, and great vegetarian food.”
Their delivery is free as long as you are in their delivery zone. Baggot believes that this model is destructive to catering and cooking and has little impact on restaurants.
“Honestly, that’s how I consume food at home. That’s why we focus so much on quality because we don’t want people to have to trade quality for convenience. That’s one of the reasons to put it in, “he said.
As of September, nearly one-sixth of restaurants, about 100,000, were permanently or long-term closed, according to the National Restaurant Association.
However, the concept of virtual kitchens could give some of these companies a second chance or a new venture to survive the pandemic.
“From the consumer’s point of view, there’s nothing more convenient than having a restaurant come to you,” says Rile.