When traditional restaurants prepare the menu of a virtual restaurant in their kitchen, they are called ghost kitchens managed by virtual operators or franchises. They will not include the virtual concept in their physical menu. Ghost restaurants (also called dark kitchens, virtual kitchens, cloud kitchens or headless restaurants) are increasingly appearing. They depart from the traditional concept of traditional brick restaurants, since they do not have seats, storefronts or waiters. Operating a ghost kitchen can be a great way for restaurateurs to diversify their takeaway food options while still being able to serve guests during this pandemic.
Ghost kitchens, also known as microcloud kitchens or virtual kitchens, refer to restaurants that do not offer food services on site. They are designed to fulfill online orders, so their menus are only available to customers who require delivery. Think of it as a co-working space. There are no tables or walk-in customers. All you need to do is rent a space, create a menu and start selling your food to customers online through third-party delivery apps.
One of the great things about ghost kitchens is their ability to change their brand and menu as often as they like. This greater flexibility to play with a menu means that you will reach a variety of customers, as the different menus will appeal to different people. It also means that customers will never get bored. Ghost kitchens provide you with premium real estate at a fraction of the cost compared to brick-and-mortar stores. A ghost kitchen is an installation that supports virtual brands, that is, brands that sell exclusively through food delivery applications. Compared to other types of ghost kitchens, kitchen capsules are easy to transport between locations, such as parking lots, and behind restaurants.
With less staff, cost-sharing and alternative locations, ghost kitchens can offer chefs the opportunity to offer a creative menu without the overhead costs of owning a real restaurant. Some ghost kitchens only exist in third-party food delivery apps, so you'll have to place your order there. It's unclear when exactly ghost kitchens were created, but the concept has really taken off in recent years as demand for food delivery services has increased. Ghost kitchens only exist online, meaning that changing the brand or changing your rate is as simple as updating the website. Ghost kitchens offer endless possibilities in terms of what you can do to launch new brands or manage several virtual restaurants in one place, since your presence is online.
We all know that restaurants are a low-margin industry, but ghost kitchens help you maximize those profits by managing your home delivery business more intelligently. The beauty of ghost kitchens is that you are in control of most operational aspects, in addition to delivery. For example, Seaside, a ghost kitchen concept created by one entrepreneur in Oyster Bay served ribs and fried chicken. Ghost restaurants work completely online, allowing customers to place orders through third-party delivery services such as GrubHub, DoorDash or Uber Eats and receive their food without any direct contact with the ghost restaurant itself. Instead of offering seats in a physical restaurant, ghost kitchens are used for takeaway food only, reducing the overhead and expenses of a physical restaurant. In a nutshell, a ghost kitchen provides you with an opportunity to build a successful restaurant concept and get back to normal. It won't be obvious when you take a look at your takeaway food app because on online platforms there's usually no difference between a traditional restaurant and a ghost kitchen.
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