{"id":5650,"date":"2022-06-01T12:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T17:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/who-ya-gonna-call\/"},"modified":"2023-05-24T13:17:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T18:17:25","slug":"who-ya-gonna-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/who-ya-gonna-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Who ya gonna call?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Two years ago, the restaurant industry couldn\u2019t stop talking about ghost kitchens. During the past two years, nearly every restaurant became one.<\/p>\n<p>With limited seating or closed dining rooms, back of house rose to the forefront. Online was a lifeline. Takeout and delivery became the customer experience. In short, survival meant dabbling in the ghost kitchen or virtual kitchen space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They won\u2019t likely vanish anytime soon. Three Gordon Food Service\u00ae experts weighed in:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe pandemic moved the conversation ahead about five years.\u201d \u2013 Darren Lexa, Calgary, Alberta-based Culinary Specialist.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI think this is only going to grow.\u201d \u2013 Eric Schamp, Indianapolis-based Business Solutions Specialist.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGhost kitchens are going to continue as an industry disruptor.\u201d \u2013 Gareth Berg, Milton, Ontario-based Business Solutions Specialist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Recognize the advantages<\/h3>\n<p>As off-premise dining grows and a younger demographic embraces technology, speed and convenience, restaurants sense a ghost kitchen opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll they really need to come up with is the concept,\u201d said Amina Gilani, co-founder and CEO of Sociavore, an all-in-one website and e-commerce platform for restaurants. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to staff or maintain a dining room because technology becomes your restaurant door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a menu seen only online, gone are time-consuming, costly paper menus. Offerings and pricing can change quickly as product availability, pricing or staff capabilities fluctuate, she adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another advantage is a simplified menu. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to sell appetizers, salads or complicated entr\u00e9es,\u201d Schamp said. \u201cChili\u2019s started up a ghost kitchen that just sells wings\u2013all you need are two or three items you can execute that are profitable and travel well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One example is BuffaLouie\u2019s, Schamp notes. The Bloomington, Indiana wings, subs and sandwiches restaurant opened a virtual kitchen concept making bagels. Gables Bagels, available for pickup only inside BuffaLouie\u2019s, proved so popular it will soon become a brick-and-mortar location.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Even as restaurants return to dine-in service, ghost kitchens and virtual kitchens offer another revenue stream, Berg points out. \u201cThey can even be a place to try out new products before committing to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Be aware of challenges<\/h3>\n<p>Ghost\/virtual kitchens only work when you understand food cost to profitability in your own restaurant, Schamp and Lexa agree. Without a solid business foundation, you\u2019ll just make more work instead of more money. Areas to watch include:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Space, equipment and staff.<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to overwhelm the current kitchen and staff. A virtual concept may require more storage, prep area or appliances. It could require more staff, different scheduling or special training.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You no longer just need a fryer guy, but you may need a chicken chef for three different concepts,\u201d Berg said. \u201cA cross-trained staff really helps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Foods that travel well. <\/strong>When building a ghost\/virtual kitchen menu, consider the consumer\u2019s point of view. It\u2019s more than keeping hot or cold foods at temperature. How do they look and taste upon delivery?<\/p>\n<p>You have to be creative,\u201d Gilani said. \u201cA steak is really great hot off the grill, but a steak taco bowl is better for carryout.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Meal kits, with ingredients foodies can prepare at home, are an alternative, she says. A Toronto ramen restaurant sells subscriptions, and packages arrive with instructions and a QR code linking to a music playlist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Technology, delivery and marketing. <\/strong>A robust website or e-commerce platform is a must, Gilani explains. You can sign with a third-party delivery service, but you might not draw enough traffic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso, delivery apps can remove about 20-30% of your margin, and they don\u2019t share guest data,\u201d she said. \u201cYou give away a lot of margin and don\u2019t know who your guests are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because consumers can only find your business online, marketing is critical for growth, Schamp says. You can advertise through social media, billboards, etc., but Lexa suggests using branded packaging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll need good packaging so your food travels well. Make sure it arrives with your name on it,\u201d he said. \u201cGFSImpress is a great option for operators to get involved in branding their own operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ghost VS Virtual Kitchen Infographic\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"7191259d-4ab1-42ce-aba6-3cbce1bb8483\" src=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1-Ghost-VS-Virtual-Infographic-760-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ghost kitchens and virtual kitchens are not about to vanish.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":15704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with 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