Food Delivery Simplified Through Ghost Kitchens
2020 was a tough year for the restaurant industry. The pandemic restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19 resulted in the downfall of countless dine-in restaurants this past year. Those that willed their businesses past this failure saw great success in restaurant-to-consumer delivery strategies. Just how successful has this strategy been, though? Well, enough to warrant a number of restaurants transitioning entirely into ghost kitchens as opposed to traditional dine-in restaurant locations.
No need to be scared, there aren’t any ghosts preparing your delivery meals. Ghost kitchens are just one of the new and innovate trends taking over the restaurant industry. The execution is simple: some restaurant owners have ditched their traditional dine-in establishments and everything that comes with them to operate out of much smaller spaces focused strictly on prepping and cooking the orders they receive. These meals are then delivered by the restaurant’s delivery team or by a third-party delivery service. For those skeptical, research has indicated that ghost kitchens could contribute nearly $1 trillion to the industry by 2030.
If you’re wondering how something so simple can produce such impact, it’s important to consider the differences between the traditional dine-in experience compared to a ‘digital’ food experience. One of the best comparisons is how Amazon impacted bookstores across the country. Providing a means to a digital experience proved to be hugely successful for Amazon, while driving nearly all large bookstores out of the market. Luckily for restaurants across the globe, this strategy is not so cutthroat. Ghost kitchens are meant to empower business and extend their reach in regards to potential customers.
For aspiring restaurant owners or managers not sold on this strategy, consider viewing the infographic accompanying this post. In it, it details how new restaurants hoping to enter the market can accelerate their success. New restaurants don’t have the benefits that long-standing family-owned businesses or franchises have. They have to find success in any pocket that they can. Ghost kitchens can provide this. By renting a space in their local area fit for preparing meals, new restaurants can begin their journey to success.
Ghost kitchens even help contribute to the success of long-standing restaurants in the industry. As mentioned previously, COVID-19 restrictions limited the ways in which customers could engage with their favorite establishments. Restaurants that refused to subject their customers to an unsafe experience dining in could still provide them with their favorite dishes through these ghost kitchens and food delivery services. They also allow for organizations to simplify their management structure and decrease their operating costs year over year.
While it’s true that estimating the popularity of restaurant-to-consumer delivery post pandemic can be difficult, it’s hard to imagine a world where ghost kitchens don’t remain successful. Not only has the convenience been proven time and time again, but the preference towards digital everything has grown substantially. Meaning younger demographics, that will ultimately contribute to countless industries as the years go by, will default to these delivery services as their spending power increases over time.
For more information regarding how ghost kitchens operate and how they can benefit your organization, be sure to check out the infographic accompanying this post. Courtesy of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Franchise.
