{"id":3703,"date":"2020-09-01T12:21:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T16:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lgcassocprod.wpengine.com\/?p=3703"},"modified":"2024-03-12T09:52:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T13:52:50","slug":"ghost-kitchens-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lgcassociates.com\/es\/ghost-kitchens-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Kitchens – Part 2 | Hospitality in the News"},"content":{"rendered":"

In\u00a0<\/span>last week\u2019s<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Hospitality in the News<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>we discussed how restaurants can improve on their concepts while maintaining the excellent customer service needed to create return guests.\u00a0<\/span>In this week\u2019s article we\u2019ll be diving deeper into one of those concepts \u2013 ghost kitchens\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 to learn more<\/span>\u00a0about how they affect the hospitality industry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ghost Kitchens | Part 2<\/strong><\/h5>\n

What is a ghost kitchen?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>ghost kitchen<\/span>, known sometimes as a virtual kitchen or dark kitchen,\u00a0<\/span>is a professional food preparation and cooking facility\u00a0<\/span>created to produce<\/span>\u00a0delivery-only meals<\/span>, \u201cby condensing the restaurant model to accommodate off-premise food sales without a traditional dine-in space. Instead of seating guests indoors, deliveries made by the restaurant or by a third-party service are the mainstay\u201d (according to\u00a0<\/span>Restaurant Business Online<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(RBO)<\/span>.)<\/span>\u00a0Basically, a fully functional kitchen is set up to create restaurant-quality delivery meals without the need for dine in (or even to-go) business \u2013\u2013\u00a0<\/span>extremely well timed during a pandemic.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although ghost kitchens have been popping up for a few years,\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019ve\u00a0<\/span>experienced massive growth due to the coronavirus emergence in early 202<\/span>0.\u00a0<\/span>R<\/span>BO<\/span>\u00a0reports, \u201cT<\/span>he boom in ghost kitchens catalyzed by the coronavirus will likely outlast the pandemic itself: According to Technomic, sales via ghost restaurants from 300 facilities in the United States will rise by a projected 25% each year for the next 5 years\u2014an estimated $300 million in yearly sales.<\/span>\u201d It\u2019s safe to say that ghost kitchens are here to stay.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to fully understand\u00a0<\/span>why<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ghost\u00a0<\/span>kitchens<\/span>\u00a0exist, it\u2019s necessary to look at the differences between them and a regular, run of the mill restaurant.\u00a0<\/span>For example:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Restaurants<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0prioritize dine in services, while\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ghost kitchens\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>do not offer a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>dining area<\/span><\/i>\u00a0for guests<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>restaurant<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0only represents one brand (their own), a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ghost kitchen<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0can have\u00a0<\/span><\/i>multiple brands\/companies working out of one kitchen.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

G<\/span><\/i><\/b>host kitchens\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>are reliant on\u00a0<\/span><\/i>delivery drivers (or partnerships with delivery\u00a0<\/span><\/i>platforms\u00a0<\/span><\/i>like\u00a0<\/span><\/i>GrubHub<\/span><\/i>)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and chefs, while\u00a0<\/span><\/i>restaurants<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0often require both positions plus front-of-house staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why\u00a0<\/span><\/b>choose a\u00a0<\/span><\/b>ghost kitchen?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Restaurants may decide to utilize a ghost kitchen for several reasons<\/span>, which can\u00a0<\/span>include:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n