Ghost Kitchens

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM , 14 May 2021

Print date: 14 April 2024 10:25

Description of the innovative solution

Community building Convenient processing Digital platform Mobile phones Online services Urban farming Urban planning Agricultural development Healthy diet Local garden Retail promotion Double-duty action Tuft's Innovation Lab

In urban settings, people are particularly lacking time and are surrounded by unhealthy options. Finding a way to feed people healthily in a city could have huge public health implications. This innovation involves the mass production of healthy, affordable meals which would be distributed to individuals, freeing people up to spend more time with family or working. The mass provision of nutritious food would remove the burden of healthy eating from an individual and place it with centralized large kitchens known as "Ghost Kitchens."

Primary users

Foodtech companies
Low/Middle income households
Urban consumers
Urban communities
Local government (municipalities)

Dietary impact

By distributing food prepared in professional kitchens, affordability and availability of healthy food options could be increased for lower income and/or vulnerable populations in urban settings and/or food deserts.

Planetary impact

Utilizing already-existing kitchen spaces that either previously held out-of-business restaurants or sharing spaces with current businesses, resources can be used more efficiently (overhead costs, energy use, etc.) as well as food wastes possibly reduced as well. The flexibility of the Ghost Kitchen business model also enables store-front restaurants to operate delivery-only businesses using existing excess resources, again, reducing waste and increasing efficiency in resource use from farm-to-fork. Additionally, the lower costs associated with operating many Ghost Kitchens is opening up avenues for food businesses to source larger quantities of produce from more cost-intensive but possibly more sustainable farming methods, such as hydroponics.

Equity impact

Utilizing centralized kitchens as distribution centers ensures that a greater number of neighborhoods are able to have access to the delivery meal services from these Ghost Kitchens, including those more vulnerable populations in food deserts that traditionally have reduced access to grocery stores and less availability of affordable and nutritious fresh produce and ingredients in general.

Main concerns

- Ghost Kitchens have grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of decreased revenue from in-house dining; this trend may continue post-pandemic.
- As Ghost Kitchen deliveries tend to be limited to the radius where the kitchen space is located, issues arise with access to services for lower-income communities
- Scalability and cost efficiency concerns as Ghost Kitchens are largely reliant on human labor (for food processing), although increased automation is currently a goal for some as related to 1) delivery/distribution of food, 2) streamlining and tracking tasks for human labor
- Expansion of Ghost Kitchens could create competition with public-facing food service jobs and smaller food retail food stores and restaurants, as well as threaten to reduce services that restaurants and provide for their communities (as professional and informal community gathering locations for those that lack meeting spaces, internet service, etc.).

Supply chain segment

Wholesale, markets and retail

Maturity level

Moving to scale

Criteria

Food affordability

SDG target

SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 10: Reduced Inequality

Context

Urban

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

Delivery-only services fighting food insecurity

Business information

Virtual restaurant business operating from centralized kitchens delivering healthy meals to low-income households and marginalized communities to fight food insecurity.

United States

thespoon.tech/everyta...pandemic

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

GhostKitchens

Business information

Mexico City-based company managing multiple delivery-only food brands with a commitment to biodegradable packaging and equitable employment

Mexico

ghost-kitchen.com.mx

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

Instructional guide to starting Ghost Kitchens

Business case

Instructional guide to starting Ghost Kitchens with advice for different business model scales and general overview of profitability and risks of this undertaking.

roaminghunger.com/blog/...t-know

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

What Are Ghost Kitchens: Everything You Need to Know

News article, popular press or blog post

Blog article explaining ghost kitchens

kickfin.com/blog/wha...kitchens/

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Contacts

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Breadcrumb

Ghost Kitchens

Description of the innovative solution

Supply chain segment

Maturity level

Criteria

SDG target

Context

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

Delivery-only services fighting food insecurity

GhostKitchens

Additional resources

Instructional guide to starting Ghost Kitchens

What Are Ghost Kitchens: Everything You Need to Know

Contacts