Of all, the hospitality sector has struggled the most to survive the pandemic. As a result, the past year witnessed a growth in the number of cloud kitchens! These new ghost or virtual setups are taking the world by storm and have left no one unimpressed.
Because of these ventures, restaurants have been able to not only survive but thrive amidst the increasing food delivery demands. They serve everything from luxury dinners to home-cooked meals. As a result, they can be called the new awe-inspiring trendsetter – for all the good reasons!
Since the pandemic and the consequent crisis forced dine-in places to close, more and more kitchens are coming up for business. Don’t believe me? Go through Zomato or Zomato-like apps on your phones and you will notice that new brands keep coming up every month and many of them are delivery only.
It is safer for business owners to offer lip-smacking meals while not investing a lot in dining spaces and still earn handsome.
If you have come this far, you are clearly very interested. So, keep reading to know more about this fantastic and in-vogue concept of cloud kitchens.
A brief introduction to Cloud Kitchens
Before delving into the benefits and other details about the topic in hand, let us get very clear with the fundamentals first. It is mandatory in a way to get the hang of things in a better manner. So, let’s get straight to the point now!
Cloud kitchens (let’s call them CKs) are the impressive new entrants in town and the pandemic triggered their rise. They are also referred to as ghost, dark, or virtual kitchens and are commercial spaces. These are delivery-only set-ups and they do not offer dine-in facilities. Instead, they rely solely on online orders, which are more than often placed through online food aggregators.
A CK, provides restaurant businesses and owners with the services and facilities needed to prepare menus required for takeout and make deliveries.
As their name suggests, CKs are different from the traditional brick-and-mortar locations. They allow food business persons to create and deliver food orders and products with minimal overhead.
The most exciting bit is that meal deliveries increased by more than a whopping 150% from 2019 to 2020.
Also, CK rentals provide a restaurant-like private commercial space at lesser costs. Owners can take chef staff and their licensed brand and operate out of a ghost kitchen! It’s easy, time and money-saving!
What are the positives that these virtual setups offer?
A majority of restaurants are still shut for dining and other such set-ups like hotels, cafes, etc., are moving ahead with the takeaway option to stay open, retain staff, earn and not go out of business.
Opening up one’s own restaurant is one glamorous dream – every food entrepreneur wants it, but not everyone can. So, in the midst of all this CKs seem like a great viable option!
Let us learn why!
- They are easy to launch, have low entry costs, capital expenditure and rents. As a result, it is relatively easier to keep them running and revenues flowing in.
- They have come up as democratic spaces where new start-ups can potentially compete with the already well-established and big players in the market.
- These places offer lip-smacking meals without compromising on the quality. As a result, they have been able to satisfy customers successfully and that’s why they already have such a fantastic image in the market!
- Also, they help in delivering with minimal overhead.
- Since they are ghost or virtual kitchens, their geographical location is not a concern – as long as the food gets delivered quickly and with ease, of course.
- They are a very important aspect in the food industry now as they are helping food entrepreneurs start their ventures with low capital costs and investment.
- These set-ups offer optimized delivery experiences.
- Such a set-up saves a lot of money – on rent, maintenance, human resources, etc. As a result, the focus can fully be on procuring quality raw materials and competent staff in the kitchen, hence, ensuring quality!
- CKs work as a great option to market and promote one’s own brand without splurging on the same!
- They are a convenient means to both sides – business owners and customers.
Let’s discuss the fantastic combo – Cloud Kitchens + Apps
Just imagine owning a cloud kitchen that’s your own. If you collaborate with online food aggregators, you would have to pay them something too. your profits won’t be yours entirely, right!
What if you could have all your profits and earnings come to you in their entirety? Well, it is not far-fetched, but it is possible! How? If you represent your CK venture through an application!
It will be YOUR OWN app for your ghost kitchen setup. Restaurant owners who wish to give you orders, would be able to approach you directly without any intermediary!
So, if business owners can earn handsome with CKs, if they take an application to represent the same on board. A cookie for your thoughts, readers!
To bring the discussion to a conclusion
Hopefully, you have understood the importance of the domain discussed above. It isn’t far-fetched, but plausible to expand your food business with cloud kitchens and apps together. With changing times, CKs also offer rentals, where kitchen space is given on rent to those who need it to fulfill food orders.
Clearly, it is one smart way to do amazing business, especially in the present testing times. So, if you wish to incorporate this idea – get in touch with one of the best app development companies today! transform your dream into a spectacular reality!
