The pandemic has impacted various industries significantly. The restaurant industry received one of the hardest blows from the restrictions and rules issued following the pandemic. According to statistics, thousands of restaurants had to shut down permanently as a result of the pandemic. These facilities were not allowed to serve clients as a move to prevent the spread of the virus. Most restaurant owners hoped that the pandemic would come to an end after a few months. However, a year later, the number of infections keep increasing, and restaurant owners can no longer afford to pay rent and maintain their facilities without any clients to serve. This led to the introduction of dark or ghost kitchens.

What is a dark kitchen?

These kitchens, also known as virtual, ghost or cloud kitchens, are delivery-only restaurants. These are restaurants that prepare meals and sell them exclusively through delivery. They are the opposite of eat-in diners and conventional restaurants. The clients are not allowed to consume the food produced at the facility. The customers usually do not know where the food is prepared; hence the term “ghost kitchen.”

Ghost kitchens are light for restaurants that the pandemic has struck because they allow them to stay afloat. Restaurant owners and operators can continue running their businesses and providing services without going against the regulations set forth to combat the pandemic.

It is worth mentioning that food delivery services’ existence and success if responsible for the birth of dark or cloud kitchens.

How do ghost kitchens operate?

Dark or virtual kitchens usually partner with third-party delivery apps like Gloovo, Uber Eats, Foodora and Veliveroo. These third-party delivery apps allow food businesses to connect with clients effortlessly. Therefore, the first thing you (consumer) need to do is download the app on your phone. The app usually features a wide range of restaurants with varying menus depending on their partnerships. Once you have downloaded and created an account on the food delivery app, the next natural step is to choose the restaurant and meal you would like to enjoy. From there, you click to order and provide your location and payment details. The delivery service providers will ensure that your food is delivered to you in the least time possible. Most, if not all of the time, you do not have to get into physical contact with the kitchens or the restaurants hence the term ghost or cloud kitchens.

How have cloud kitchens benefited restaurants during the pandemic

They allow businesses to keep running

The primary benefit of cloud kitchens for restaurants during the pandemic is that they allow business owners to keep their businesses afloat. They eliminate the need to shut down businesses entirely. They have provided a way for restaurant businesses to keep running without going against the regulations set forth to combat the pandemic.

Reduced operation costs

The pandemic has led to the loss of a lot of money for various businesses. The world’s economy has been affected adversely by the pandemic in more ways than one. Therefore, virtual kitchens have come in handy by reducing the operation costs for restaurant businesses. Restaurants do not have to hire or pay for serving staff. They also do not have to spend a lot of rent since they do not need too much space other than the kitchen and packaging area. Business owners also get to reduce the losses and wastages. This is because the workers only have to prepare the food when an order is put in. By reducing wastages, the operation costs are also reduced significantly.

Widened market

Ghost kitchens have made way for restaurants to cater to an increased market. With cloud kitchens, restaurants do not only get to serve people in their area as people from a larger radius can order and have their food delivered. However, it is worth mentioning that restaurants can only benefit if they have automated and optimized delivery processes.

Final word

Over the past few months, more food businesses have chosen the route of cloud kitchens. This has triggered regulation institutions to hold the kitchens at the same standards as restaurants. This means that these kitchens have to ensure that their staff and food safety and quality are in top-notch state least; they risk being closed down. This means that if you choose to rent a kitchen, you need to make sure all the standards are met. Visit here for rental spaces for your ghost kitchen.