Long before the industry turmoil started, food delivery was exploding in popularity, growing around 300% faster than the dine-in market. Needless to say, that pace has increased significantly: today, around 60% of US consumers order delivery at least once a week, and projections indicate that restaurant delivery will grow into a $76bn industry by 2022.
In response to the shift in the marketplace, many operations are pivoting towards facilities that eliminate a dine-in area altogether. These online-only, delivery-only concepts give operators the opportunity to create branded menus that can be executed from smaller, more strategically-placed kitchen facilities.
Advantages of ghost kitchens
Ghost kitchens (also known as delivery kitchens or dark kitchens) minimize overhead through lower square footage, reduced staffing, and the ability to run multiple concepts from a single kitchen unit.
With the removal of the physical dining area, the amount of space needed for an operation gets drastically reduced, which allows for highly-optimized kitchen facilities with workflows that are specifically oriented around delivery.
Along with a lack of necessary physical branding comes the ability to run multiple delivery concepts from a single cooking area. These concepts aren’t constrained by the limitations of a brick-and-mortar restaurant; they can reinvent themselves as often as they like without disrupting the customer experience. The resulting flexibility allows operators to dial in on the exact tastes and preferences of their specific customer-base, giving them an edge not available to a less nimble approach to foodservice.
Newly underutilized spaces
Mobile, modular or containerized Ghost kitchens provide operators with the opportunity to take advantage of areas that have experienced a change in utilization or a significant reduction in foot traffic. These newly underutilized areas include parking lots, parking garages, congregation areas, or even temporarily delayed construction sites.
As speed of delivery is one of the highest contributors to the success and growth of a delivery-only concept, taking advantage of underutilized spaces can allow a ghost kitchen to get much closer to high-engagement areas than was previously possible for a regular dine-in restaurant.
Ghost kitchens with Kitchens To Go
With Kitchens To Go, operators can leverage highly-configurable, relocatable modular cooking units to capitalize on a changing landscape far more quickly than with a traditional kitchen.
KTG’s modular units break down the functional areas of a kitchen into individual units (e.g., cook line, prep area, dishwashing area, storage, etc.), giving operators the flexibility to create the ideal cooking space for their unique ghost kitchen location. Equipped with energy sources and HVAC, ghost kitchens with Kitchens To Go are a perfect solution for underutilized or non-traditional locations.
Each ghost kitchen is equipped with state-of-the-art cooking equipment that can mirror the functionality of any traditional commercial kitchen, so there’s no sacrifice necessary when establishing, expanding or converting into a ghost kitchen.
Available for lease or purchase, Ghost Kitchens from Kitchens To Go can serve both short and long-term needs, allowing brands to pivot quickly in reaction to changes in the marketplace or expand further to capitalize on growing demand.
As the foodservice landscape continues to evolve, Kitchens To Go – the nation’s leader in interim and permanent modular solutions – brings nearly 40 years of expertise to bear in helping new and established brands take advantage of burgeoning opportunities in the market.
We look forward to creating the perfect Ghost Kitchen that will Keep You Cooking.
For more information on how Kitchens To Go can help you take advantage of underutilized spaces, be sure to visit our Ghost Kitchens page
