What is a Ghost Kitchen?

You might have heard the term ‘ghost kitchen’ over the last year or so with the increased popularity of ordering food online and through third party vendors. Ghost kitchens are somewhat of a new concept that have become popular over the last couple of years.  COVID caused a change in how often people order food delivery and that is likely going to remain more common than it was pre-pandemic. People have become used to ordering in more and want more options for high-quality, yet affordable food.

A ghost kitchen is essentially a restaurant without the physical dining space. The main goal of a ghost kitchen is to fulfill online delivery food orders from either third-party apps like DoorDash and UberEats or through a businesses’ own delivery operation. Ghost kitchens can be set up by using existing restaurant kitchen space, renting out restaurant kitchens, launching a virtual, delivery-only restaurant or by using a shared commissary space.

Permitting laws for ghost kitchens are not consistent across the country. There are many things that dictate what the process will be and it can be different for each town, city and state depending on how they want to categorize this type of food service.

The Benefits of a Ghost Kitchen

The main idea is that you can quickly create a dining concept (like pizza) and offer a limited menu that is very focused. You would have a separate brand, menu, pricing and delivery system for this offering. But you’d use the existing cooking staff to make the food and then have it delivered to customers at their homes by their party providers..  

1. More Revenue With Existing Staff/Equipment - when you set up your ghost kitchen, you’re setting up additional revenue streams for yourself. You will have the opportunity to generate additional revenue when you rent out extra kitchen space to third-party brands or by creating your own delivery-only service.  

2. Quick Implementation - ghost kitchens typically require less time to open, because ghost kitchen owners can simply operate out of their existing restaurant. This makes the actual opening of the ghost kitchen quicker and easier since you don’t have to wait for an entire new facility to be built.

3. Low Start-Up Cost - ghost kitchens tend to be cheaper to start since you won’t have to invest in the extra costs of items such as more furniture, decor, menu printing and all the other costs that are associated with hosting and providing a dine-in experience to consumers.

Express Permits can Help you Start Your Ghost Kitchen Today! 

At Express Permits, our professional permit technicians provide the research required for every commercial project, regardless of the type of construction being performed. Not only can we help you obtain necessary permits to launch your ghost kitchen, but we will ensure the proper guidelines and process required by the building department’s plan reviewer are followed. 

Our staff is prepared to assist with your permitting needs. Contact Express Permits today to help bring your ghost kitchen to life!