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After an unsuccessful breakthrough, about three years ago, today the concept returns overwhelmingly, as a way to guarantee the survival of many businesses in the catering industry and the launch of others.
Of course, we are here to tell you how they operate and which are the best providers of this service. The names are various: kitchens in the cloud, ghost kitchens, hidden kitchens, virtual kitchens …
The concept is not as new as some think. This business modality appeared in 2018, without much excitement for entrepreneurs in the catering sector, who did not find the benefits that today make this modality a successful business in kitchens in the cloud.
But in 2020, the restrictions imposed by the health crisis, which especially affected the hotel and restaurant sectors, ghost kitchens seem like a legitimate and even preferred alternative, for the creation of new businesses, the reopening of others or the expansion of services such as delivery.
What are cloud kitchens?
In essence, ghost kitchens are spaces to develop the activity of a restaurant, but without infrastructure to serve face-to-face customers.
The objective is to offer a space, equipped with all the artifacts, machines, tools and instruments, necessary to produce food products, which will be delivered at home, usually through a third-party technology platform, like UberEats or DoorDash, to mention a few well-known ones.
Because the concept is constantly evolving, there is still confusion with other models that, although they may present some similarity, definitely do not represent what a ghost kitchen is. It is the case of “Virtual restaurants”, which are definitely not virtual kitchens, or in the cloud, or ghosts.
Ghost kitchens, in fact, by themselves are nothing. They are nothing more than a series of kitchens, which are located within the same building, and which are ready to be used by those who need them.
Usually, the model is structured with three basic components:
- The restaurant, or the brand, which has the necessary Know-How to prepare a dish, a recipe or simply the experience and the secret touch for the preparation of a particular type of food.
- The ghost kitchen: this is a company that has taken over a building, a house or a property large enough to house a certain number of kitchen facilities, independent, complete, with all the artifacts, tools and machines necessary for the preparation. of all kinds of foods.
- A technology distributor: o platform that has the possibility of establishing contact between the end customer and the restaurant or brand, to send orders quickly and in a timely manner, and manage the collection on behalf of the represented restaurant, by an agreement previously signed.
These three participants in this business model are not always the same. The Pizza brand “Our”, for example, you can use ghost kitchens from “Kitchens in the Cloud SL”, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, use the kitchens of “DarkKitchens”, because its location is more strategic for customers who usually place orders on those days.
During the days that “Our” does not use the facilities that usually rents to “Kitchens in the Cloud SL ”, The dishes of other restaurants, pastry shops, bakeries, etc. are prepared there.
So, on the one hand, the ghost kitchen as an object, or as an isolated installation, is simply a suitable space for cooking, which to be used only requires locating in that place the people in charge of cooking and the ingredients necessary for the manufacture of the dishes. .
But ghost kitchens, as a business concept and as a production unit, require the participation of other actors, to configure the complete solution, which is what is actually called the ghost kitchen or kitchen in the cloud.
Why are cloud kitchens attractive today?
Ghost kitchens gained ground with great speed in 2020, no doubt due to the conditions imposed by the pandemic. Without a health emergency, it is possible that the foray of kitchens in the cloud would have been much slower.
The emergency forces restaurants to operate at reduced capacity, and customers are increasingly cautious when dining out. Ghost kitchens are a way for restaurants to turn these obstacles into opportunities, taking advantage of the boom in delivery orders, without having to bear the fixed costs of a dining space that will never fill up.
In general, ghost kitchens offer many benefits. Some of them are:
- Low overhead: in this business model it is not necessary to invest in furniture, decoration, menu printing costs …
- Faster opening times– Ghost kitchens simply need to rent the space they require, for the estimated time, making a pitch happen overnight.
- Comfort: restaurants can work comfortably, paying only for the time they will actually use.
- Flexibility– Cloud kitchens can seamlessly adapt to changing market conditions or customer preferences.
How to open a ghost kitchen?
Now that you know what it is, and what you can gain with a kitchen in the cloud, you are ready to explore the options that the market offers you. We have selected some sites that will make your way easier:
The Kitchen Door
With The Kitchen Door you will not have to travel your city in search of the ghost kitchens that are ready to rent you their space. You only need to register your location – zip code or city – in a very simple and practical search engine, and this functional site will give you information about all the nearby ghost kitchens so that you can start your business.
The Food Corridor
Now that, if your idea is to have your own ghost kitchen business, in addition to your restaurant, The Food Corridor is your best option. They will take care of the logistics and administration of your spaces, so that you only take care of your business.
Cuyna
Finally, Cuyna offers you the ghost kitchen you need, here in your country. It is a network of kitchens designed so that traditional businesses can switch to this new model, reducing investment costs and making them adaptable to any unforeseen circumstance, such as the one we are now experiencing during the health emergency.