How Does a Virtual Kitchen Work? A Comprehensive Guide

The delivery revolution has given rise to completely new types of businesses that hope to capitalize on this trend, but the strangest (and most controversial) thing is the ghost kitchen, a unique innovation of the 21st century that promises to optimize 26% and expand the delivery service at a (apparently) minimum cost. But what exactly is a virtual kitchen and how does it work?Under a virtual kitchen concept, a virtual kitchen works only as a home delivery, and some offer takeaway options. While they can reduce costs such as real estate and labor, the process for the customer is essentially the same as if you ordered at any restaurant. However, in a virtual restaurant, you would prepare food at your current physical location or in a food truck.

You can still sell your brand through popular food apps, but you would use your own equipment instead of renting a new space. Increasingly, the food you order from a home delivery application is prepared by cooks who work for a restaurant that doesn't really exist, at least not in the traditional sense. There is no storefront, dining room or front desk staff. In some cases, the kitchen functions as a hub for a handful of other so-called virtual restaurants; in others, virtual restaurant food is prepared within the kitchen of an established physical store, but with a separate name and menu. Either way, anyone can cook their hamburger, tacos or pizza anywhere, making the ghost kitchen concept so lucrative and attractive to owners and investors. The term ghost kitchen classifies food service companies without dining areas that offer delivery and, occasionally, takeaway food.

Sometimes referred to as ghost restaurants, virtual kitchens or satellite kitchens, ghost kitchens use third-party delivery services to receive orders and get meals to customers. In addition, as the ghost kitchen industry expands, there may be innovative solutions for these types of problems. Use these quick facts comparing ghost kitchens and traditional restaurants to determine which one is right for you:

• Ghost kitchens don't have dining areas.
• They are cheaper than traditional restaurants.
• They are more flexible when it comes to menu changes.
• They don't require wait staff.
• They don't require expensive real estate.

If you don't have experience in the food industry, ghost kitchens may seem like a great way to test your food concepts. According to Greenspan, the possibilities of using ghost kitchens and home delivery as a marketing tool are endless. To take advantage of popularity, some brands create ghost kitchen concepts based on sections of their menu. We recommend trying to understand what other brands are doing or finding a good consultant (such as Greenspan) who has experience with virtual brands and ghost kitchens.

On its website, Virtual Dining Concepts states that restaurants that install ghost kitchens to operate one or more of their brands can expect a 30 percent increase in profits. Yes, we've heard a number of success stories about restaurants that have implemented the ghost kitchen model. This is what Greenspan did with its own brands of ghost kitchens: several kitchen styles made with the same basic supplies, all in one place. When operators allow virtual restaurant customers to pick up their orders, they attract customers who normally avoid ghost kitchens to avoid shipping costs. If you don't have experience with virtual brands, launching them from an independent ghost kitchen wouldn't make much sense. With a ghost kitchen, you rent to a landlord in facilities such as Kitchens United or Cloud Kitchens, which are generally found in densely populated areas.