How to make ghost kitchens and virtual brands profitable

Jumping into a ghost kitchen may seem like a way to recoup lost dining room sales during the pandemic, but operators need to consider food costs, labor, marketing and brand equity to help ensure a payoff.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 12, 2020

Famous Dave's expands ghost kitchens through Johnny Carino's partnership

Working within another restaurant decreases rent, doesn't add much labor costs and makes operations more efficient, Famous Dave's CEO Jeff Crivello said.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 12, 2020

DoorDash for Work lets employers feed their remote workers

The aggregator's product is a solution for the new work-from-home economy, and could recapture some lost lunch business as commuters stay remote. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 8, 2020

Uber Eats revamp looks to improve restaurant discoverability

New assets include Hidden Gem recommendations and family favorites, as well as the ability to order at multiple restaurants through a single order. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 8, 2020

Kroger brings ghost kitchens inside stores

The grocer is opening a delivery and pickup-only restaurant inside an Indiana location on Thursday and will open a second facility in Ohio next month.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Oct. 8, 2020

Grubhub offers free subscription to Lyft Pink members

The partnership will give Lyft Pink members unlimited free delivery from nearly 200,000 restaurants and will better position both companies against rival Uber.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 6, 2020

Mapping the rise of ghost kitchens

Are ghost kitchens really on their way to becoming a mainstream restaurant channel? And what risks come with the opportunity they promise? Restaurant Dive aims to answer these questions and more in a six-part article series. 

Oct. 5, 2020

How the pandemic accelerated the US ghost kitchen market '5 years in 3 months'

The COVID-19 crisis has restaurants "running to catch up" to delivery demand, but experts now see potential for permanent changes to business models as dark kitchens gain steam. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 5, 2020

DoorDash accused of providing 'deceptive information' about non-partners on its platform

A restaurant claims the company falsely listed it as closed or out of delivery range to redirect orders, but DoorDash claims it never intentionally steered customers away from any restaurant.

By Alicia Kelso • Updated Sept. 28, 2020

How top QSRs are using product intelligence to drive growth

The top performers in QSR have overcome today's challenges and even grown by partnering with the right technology and strategy platforms.

Sept. 28, 2020

California law bars delivery companies from adding non-partnered restaurants

The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires aggregators to sign a written agreement with a restaurant before adding menus to their marketplaces and offering delivery.

By Julie Littman • Updated Sept. 28, 2020

Independent pizza sales boosted by COVID-19 pandemic, report shows

Operators on digital ordering platform Slice have doubled their weekly sales during the coronavirus, from $2,000 to $4,000 on average, according to BTIG. 

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 15, 2020

Delivery by the numbers: What third-party platforms are offering restaurants to survive the pandemic

DoorDash introduced a cohort of 17 restaurateurs who will receive $20,000 grants and business coaching as part of its Main Street Strong Accelerator.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 18, 2022

Uber Eats adds contactless ordering for pickup, dine in

Restaurants do not have to pay a marketplace fee through the end of 2020 for orders placed through this service, which customers use by scanning a QR code.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 11, 2020

Research shows delivery pain points, from unidentifiable calls to incorrect orders

More than 70% of respondents reported experiencing an issue that requires customer service, with 62% saying they missed a call because they didn't recognize the number, per a study from First Orion.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 10, 2020

Bay Area-based Virtual Kitchen raises $20M

The company, led by former Uber executives, has brought in $37 million to date and plans to expand nationally and abroad as demand for food delivery rises.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 9, 2020

New York, Los Angeles extend delivery commission fee caps

With the pandemic complicating reopening plans, these two cities are lengthening their timelines until restaurants are able to operate at 100% dine-in capacity, plus an additional 90 days.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 31, 2020

Uber Eats unveils first ad format with sponsored restaurant listings

To encourage restaurants to test the new format, Uber Eats is offering $25 million in marketing credits to small and medium-size businesses.

By Robert Williams • Aug. 31, 2020

H-E-B's food hall at Austin, Texas, store to offer takeout and delivery

The space will feature a full-service bar and five restaurants with limited capacity dine-in. 

By Jessica Dumont • Aug. 28, 2020

DoorDash reportedly could go public by end of year

The IPO could occur as early as November, according to Bloomberg, which could provide DoorDash access to more capital as it dominates food delivery.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 24, 2020

US Foods joins growing list of ghost kitchen services to help with off-premise push

The foodservice distributor and ShiftPixy both recently launched resources for restaurants to streamline operations and market toward delivery.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 21, 2020

How Waitr's CEO made the company profitable in 6 months

Since Carl Grimstad joined the delivery company, employed drivers were switched to contractors, more restaurants joined the platform and it expanded into grocery and alcohol delivery.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 19, 2020

Domino's announces 20,000-employee hiring spree

The pizza giant's labor plans are a show of strength in a space where its delivery-optimized model has fared relatively well in recent months compared to QSRs geared toward dine-in traffic. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 18, 2020

Delivering dinner: online meal ordering trends

We surveyed 800 diners on their online meal ordering habits. See how consumer behavior is changing.

Aug. 17, 2020

Just Eat to move away from gig worker model, CEO says

Drivers in Europe could soon be employed by the delivery company, Just Eat Takeaway CEO Jitse Groen said, adding that he plans to evaluate this model for its Canada and U.S. markets.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 14, 2020