Cloud Kitchens: Providers, Ghost Kitchens, Virtual Restaurants

As Americans dine-out less and order-in more, “virtual kitchens” are emerging in dense metropolitan areas to house dozens of delivery-only concepts in converted warehouses. The biggest player in the US is CloudKitchens, backed with $150m from Uber founder and ex-CEO Travis Kalanick. Watch as we provide an inside look into these mysterious kitchens ... See more

So-called “ghost kitchens,” which have no storefront and exist only online and in delivery apps, were until recently a novelty, but are now becoming more popular. One of Your Fare’s clients managed to cram 10 different restaurant concepts into a single ghost kitchen, and each served customers on four different delivery platforms.

The shift has popularized two types of digital culinary establishments. One is “virtual restaurants,” which are attached to real-life restaurants like Mr. Lopez’s Top Round but make different cuisines specifically for the delivery apps. The other is “ghost kitchens,” which have no retail presence and essentially serve as a meal preparation hub for ... See more

One path is exemplified by CloudKitchens. At its core, CloudKitchens is simple: Build commercial kitchen spaces in less-trafficked areas and rent them out to operators to run delivery-only food businesses.