April 22, 2021 – In the wake of financial hardship brought about by the pandemic, the search for new revenue sources has many hospitals adopting a “ghost kitchen” concept, reports Provista.
The ghost kitchen business model lets operators meet the demand for meal delivery without requiring the space and overhead of a restaurant. Ghost kitchens can be part of a brand or part of a kitchen in an independent location. Provista says that ghost franchises are available too, with entire brands created using the delivery-only model.
Like traditional kitchens, ghost kitchens rely on professional chefs and cooks to prepare food. However, the ghost model does not serve food on-premises, which challenges operators to prepare and pack food optimized for delivery. Organizations that implement these kitchens can recover faster from business lost during the pandemic, Provista claims.
Some companies are 100% acting as ghost kitchens, and that’s likely to continue even after the pandemic ends. Provista predicts that the ghost kitchen model will be one of the “new normal” trends to emerge from the coronavirus restrictions.
The global market for ghost kitchens is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, according to a Euromonitor virtual webinar. And about 75% of restaurant operators consider off-premises dining to be their best growth opportunity, according to the National Restaurant Association.