Dark kitchens are closely related to new technologies and the emergence of the Internet. There are different types of ghost kitchen models, but in most cases the facilities are shared between multiple restaurants or franchises.
In recent years, food delivery has become an increasingly popular business. Due to the success of food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, Deliveroo and Glovo, bars and restaurants have chosen this perfect opportunity to increase their sales without having a physical space for customers.
It was in this context that arose the dark kitchens, A On-demand food delivery production center, hyper-connected with other applications such as Siri or Alexa and that the customer can quickly request a grocery delivery or other service that will be quickly delivered to their home. It is an attractive alternative for food entrepreneurs committed to delivery.
How do dark kitchens work?
The Dark Kitchens centers contain independent or shared kitchen areas where external customers such as restaurants or chefs can carry out their activities. So the chef prepares the food depending on the orders he receives through mobile apps, his own website or food delivery portals. Then the delivery person comes into play, who brings the dishes directly to the customer.
Booh!, a coworking food delivery company
In 2018, Booh! as part of a startup incubation program. This project raised an investment of 250,000 euros local business angelsThis allowed them to start their activity, which consisted of renting out kitchen space and developing their own digital restaurants.
To carry out its work, Booh! works with the main delivery service providers. In addition, the Málaga company has its own fleet of drivers and an ordering platform, which represents its main sales channel.
As for national expansion, the company is carrying it out gradually and through agreements with other dark kitchens in order to have flexibility in entering new cities. At the same time, new construction centers are opening.
Key points include agreements with real estate investment funds that have allowed them to implement a much more ambitious and faster expansion plan.
On the other hand, they were associated with Castellana propertiesfor installation Bright kitchens in the Los Arcos shopping center in Seville. Daniel Bueno, co-founder of Booh!notes that “With great enthusiasm for what it represents. It’s an evolutionary and qualitative leap from dark kitchens. Getting out of the dark and being visible at street level within a shopping center is an exciting challenge and we look forward to opening the first in Seville.”.
Advantages of this type of cuisine
Dark kitchens can be advantageous, among other things because of the quick start-up and the reduction in operating costs by eliminating room service. In Spain, they win in terms of home delivery due to the specialization of digital restaurants compared to traditional restaurants. The letters and packaging are adapted to delivery, which is highly appreciated by customers. In this way, in addition to reducing costs, dark kitchens offer owners the opportunity to reach new customers that would not be possible with a traditional restaurant. This model allows you to reach a wider audience and offer products to customers across the city instead of depending on local traffic in the area where the business is located.
“In its short period of existence, the sector has experienced real disruption, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Now we are witnessing an evolution with the release of the first Dark Kitchens 2.0 (Bright Kitchens), the Booh! Food is a pioneer” he hinted So. “A concentration of players between 1 or 2 major players is the scenario we are currently experiencing in relation to dark kitchen operators, and it is further exacerbated by the concentration and reduction of digital restaurants in a number of major players that will lead the sector.
The future of dark kitchens and Q-Commerce
It is an increasingly popular service that continues to grow. The end customer demands it. For this reason, it is a sector in which they must be prepared to meet demand under the conditions required by the user. This new trend started its journey about ten years ago, but it was only with the spread of the coronavirus that its golden age began. According to a report by Rockville ResearchAccording to estimates, the global food delivery market is expected to be worth $254 billion in 2028. From 2021 to this period there will be an increase of 10.9%. Delivery will continue to increase rapidly. Therefore, dark kitchens will continue to have a place in the market.
Closure of ghost supermarkets and dark kitchens in Barcelona
No supermarkets or ghost kitchens. In Barcelona, shops that sell products or food distributed without a physical space for customers have been banned. For him CEO of Booh!is about “A poor solution to a problem. The problem exists, it is reality. It is a new sector for everyone, companies and public organizations must learn the mistakes and successes that need to be evaluated and regulated. The final population must not be deprived of services that make their lives more comfortable and efficient because we are unable to regulate them. Companies like ours or urban mobility companies like electric scooters are a reality in the smart kitchens of the future and present. Denial of licenses or closures is not a solution in my opinion.”