Recent events have necessitated a dramatic shift in consumer behavior. With restrictions limiting movement to essential travel, many food and beverage services businesses took a massive hit as their clientele couldn’t partake of their offerings. Likewise, the traditional restaurants, bars, and dive-ins saw a decrease in their patrons as people had to stay home.
However, it also opened up opportunities for entrepreneurs to embrace the concept of a ghost kitchen. The idea of a ghost kitchen had been percolating for the past few years, but with the current situation, many food-service businesses have looked into the possibility of integrating it into their operations.
A ghost kitchen is a restaurant that fulfills online orders and doesn’t accept dine-in patrons. Entrepreneurs hire a viable space, install the necessary equipment and offer their menu to their target clientele. They receive orders and deliver them using third-party applications. This concept helps spur the local economy as it entails employing people and paying necessary taxes, too.
If you’re thinking of branching out your business with a ghost kitchen, here are five reasons why you should pursue the idea.
Lesser overhead costs
One of the best advantages of using a ghost kitchen is the decreased overhead costs. Your company doesn’t have to provide tables, chairs, and other similar amenities to your clients. However, you shouldn’t scrimp on required coverage policies such as restaurant insurance, workers’ compensation, and general liability. It pays to have all bases covered, after all.
Lower startup costs
Opening a brand new restaurant will cost you a lot of resources. However, if you want to branch out with a ghost restaurant, you can split operations between your physical and virtual stores. Then, you can allocate the equipment and staff accordingly. This way, you can still employ your best personnel while expanding your operations and maximizing opportunities.
Maximized workflow and output
Using a ghost kitchen allows your staff to work solely on the tasks at hand. Your team can focus on putting together the online orders, maximizing their productivity, and increasing service quality. They can decrease the number of misplaced orders and help improve your reputation.
Better market penetration and share
With the change in consumer behavior, online ordering and delivery are rapidly becoming the norm. Your company will benefit greatly if you can tap into this emerging market. You should keep up with the trend and use various marketing strategies to penetrate client awareness and achieve a better market share.
An excellent social media presence will help your company expand its operations and make the ghost kitchen a highly profitable part of your operations.
Adaptability and scalability
With the right management team in place with your ghost kitchen, you can adapt to emerging food trends and integrate them accordingly. You can provide your customers added value simply by giving them the option to add seasonal food offerings. This will not only provide additional income but will also increase your online credibility.
Conclusions
With the emerging shift in customer spending behavior, it’s crucial to pursue different avenues to keep track of the trends. Investing in a ghost kitchen will be an excellent way for the hospitality industry to expand operations and maximize opportunities.
About the Author
Bernadine Racoma is the Content Manager of WorkSmartr.com. Her long experience in an international development institution and extensive travels have provided her with a wealth of knowledge and insights to cultural diversity. She writes to inform, engage, and share the idea of the Internet being a useful platform for communicating, knowledge sharing, educating, and entertaining
