VIRTUAL RESTAURANTS
are they right for you? Virtual restaurants have risen dramatically in popularity the last couple of years. In today’s climate, the thought of launching a new restaurant can be stressful, to say the least, and with good reason. Opening a virtual restaurants could be a less taxing option.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL RESTAURANT? Think restaurant food, without the dine-in option. A virtual restaurant (also known as a virtual kitchen or ghost kitchen) is just that — a restaurant that eradicates the eat-in option for diners and operates strictly as a food delivery company. Whether it’s online ordering being booked via app or web, the virtual restaurant serves as the kitchen for delivery and/or takeout food options. A virtual restaurant operates from an isolated kitchen space without a storefront. Customers use online ordering and payment methods and have their food delivered either by the restaurant itself or with food delivery apps such as UberEats or Skip the Dishes.
WHY GO VIRTUAL? The benefits of using a ghost kitchen or numerous. Larger customer base Restaurants fixed to a specific location miss out on customers outside of their service
range. Convenience is one of the most significant factors in choosing a restaurant for most patrons. Driving outside of your neighborhood for food doesn’t happen as often as one would think. Ghost kitchens can deliver to many areas, near and far.
allows for adaptation to ever-changing preferences within your target market. Much of the need for immediate alteration came from the impact that the pandemic had on the restaurant industry — primarily impacting existing restaurants.
Low capital investment Opening a traditional storefront is expensive, and can require a whole slew of permits, inspections, licenses, equipment, furniture and more. With a virtual restaurant space, your initial investment is a fraction of the cost.
Expansion Opportunities Alongside flexibility and efficiency, virtual restaurants offer a bigger opportunity of expansion. Due to the restaurant being built online, rather than a physical location, replicating it’s system(s) becomes more efficient; this means an increase in expansion opportunities across both locations and dishes.
Smaller payroll You’ll need less staff for your virtual kitchen. Gone are wages to front-of-the-house. In the face of rising labor shortages and the prospect of a higher minimum wage, the small staff required to run a ghost kitchen is incredibly appealing. Flexibility and Efficiency Online platforms can be easily altered to fit updates, whether automatic or manual. For restaurant businesses, this means introducing new dishes to your fully online menu becomes inherently easy and efficient. This amount of flexibility and customization
More freedom for experimentation Virtual kitchens can give life to your creative ideas. Your entire business is online which gives you tremendous freedom to experiment and try out new trends. You can introduce new items on your menu at any time. Adapting according to the market is much easier with cloud kitchens as compared to traditional restaurants. ---Since your ghost brand is virtual, you can change your menu, pricing, or name at any time. Or add a side menu for a new concept from the same kitchen.
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