Issue #122 – OnTrend Concepts

December 15, 2022

Peter Cook, Editor

And the hits just keep on comin’! Interesting announcements and news from Kitchen United, Rebel Foods, MrBeast and Virtual Dining Concepts, C3, Doritos, Helbiz Kitchen, Radisson Hotels, Swiggy, JustKitchen and more! Love to see the continued creativity and partnerships!

Don’t overlook the big news about Kitchen United and the International Ghost Kitchen Conference! We’ve added a bunch of speakers over the past week, and more speakers and sponsors are about to be announced! Contact us to learn more about sponsorship, speaking, or attending. It’s going to be a great conference.

Please send us any industry news you think we should include in the Ghost Kitchen Digest! And let us know if you would like to learn more about advertising.

If you have not already done so, join the Ghost Kitchen Group on LinkedIn too. Great place for networking and sharing insights/information.

And now, the news…

Kitchen United Signs on as Platinum Sponsor for International Ghost Kitchen Conference!

OnTrend Concepts is thrilled to announce that Kitchen United has signed on as a Platinum Sponsor for the International Ghost Kitchen Conference, being held in Amsterdam on March 1-3, 2023.

Rebel Foods’ revenue surpasses Rs 900 Cr (over $110m USD) in FY22

The world’s largest chain of ‘internet’ restaurants which runs around 10 brands across 11 countries, Mumbai-based Rebel Foods is also the only cloud kitchen brand to be valued at over $1 billion from India.

More Saladworks, Zalat Pizza outlets come to Kroger stores and Kitchen United MIX

The supermarket giant is driving foodservice growth with its restaurant partners.

MrBeast Burger opens 1st ‘ghost kitchen’ in Puerto Rico

Jimmy Donaldson strikes again.. MrBeast Burger partners with Puerto Rican eatery Sobao for the venture in the AC Hotel in Condado sector of San Juan.

C3 Turns an Online Sausage Shop into a Virtual Restaurant

Snap-O-Razzo gained a cult following selling hot dogs online. The digital restaurant company wants to take it further.

Doritos opens ghost kitchen catering to late-night cravings

Doritos After Dark, which takes inspiration from global cuisines, will be available in New York City, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas between Dec. 16-21.

In the digital era, gift cards are more critical than ever for restaurants

Nearly half of all gift card sales occur in the last two months of the year and most of those redemptions happen in Q1, a historically slow time for restaurants.

How Virtual Brands Attract Real Customers

Restaurants branching into the space can attract new consumers—but transparency is key.

How KFC is working to 'digitize every order'

KFC is testing several technologies around the world to create more consumer access and ease operations.

Why direct-to-consumer is so important for foodservice

The companies that can master DTC in foodservice will become the leaders in the segment.

Technology is cool, but guests still want a human touch

In an age of technological innovation and automation, it’s important that you balance those tools with a human element.

Will Virtual Brands Remain in a Post-COVID Future?

Digital restaurant brands are part of a ghost kitchen segment that could reach $1 trillion by 2030 if significant automation and investment occurs.

Ric Flair Launching Wooooo! Wings Virtual Restaurant, Will Open In July

16-time World Champion and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer partners with technology and services company Kitchen Data Systems to roll out Wooooo! Wings, a virtual dining concept.

East Sacramento vegan restaurant Pure Soul Plant-Based Eats leaving brick-and-mortar site for ghost kitchen

This is something we don’t hear much about: moving from the brick & mortar approach to ghost kitchen only to save a brand. Good luck!

One Rare: Bringing Food To the Metaverse

OneRare Foodverse aspires to be where users can interact and engage with celebrity chefs, top restaurants and global food players through their NFT Gaming Zone, Virtual Restaurant Experiences, Membership Clubs and more. The Foodverse will completely revolutionize how food businesses transact with their customers.

Third-party food delivery services are offered guidance from federal agencies

Ronald Reagan on the nine most terrifying words in the English language: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Delivery drivers reveal their biggest complaints about customers and why most of them love working during the holidays

Here's a list of perks and pet peeves described by delivery drivers.

Inside the ghost kitchens haunting Austin's restaurant industry

Nothing terribly revealing here, just a look at the market in Austin.

Why Fenty Beauty took inspiration from ‘ghost kitchens’ for its fragrance launch

Inspired by ’ghost kitchens’, Barbarian created five secret Fenty ghost stores: online-only e-commerce platforms hidden in locations central to the scent’s creation on Google Maps.

Podcast: Ghost Kitchens & SPAC

ShiptPixy CEO Scott Absher on The Big Biz Show w/ Bob “Sully” Sullivan & Russ.

Podcast: This Week in Local Ep. 2 Tackles Google and Ghost Kitchens

The second episode of the Localogy podcast “This Week in Local” features a lively conversation on Google Search and ghost kitchens.

EU: Helbiz Kitchen Brings MrBeast Burger™ & Mariah’s Cookies™ to Italy

Helbiz Kitchen to serve MrBeast Burger™ and Mariah's Cookies™ brands for the first time in the Italian Market through partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts.

MENA: Radisson Hotel Group launches cloud kitchen in partnership with KRUSH Brands

KRUSH Brands presents a unique business model that provides an economically sustainable and profitable ecosystem for local entrepreneurs to thrive and re-connect with the community.

MENA: New Hotel Cloud Kitchen Venture Launched in KSA

MATBAKHI is Saudi Arabia’s latest hotel cloud kitchen company. More details on Matbakhi from CEO and co-founder Joe FREM.

MENA: Egypt’s new cloud kitchen Brito wants to replicate Kitopi model

Egypt has about eight cloud kitchen companies, all started after the onset of the pandemic, but the majority don't follow the Kitopi model: taking care of the entire operations process — from supply chain and staff training to food preparation and delivery.

Turkey: Turkish ghost kitchen startup Paket Mutfak raises $3 million

Paket Mutfak, meaning “Takeaway Kitchen” in Turkish, has been operating in Istanbul for 2 years. Currently, the startup has 6 locations and a total of 48 virtual restaurants. The company receives over 1,000 orders each day through Turkey’s largest ordering platforms: Getir Trendyol Group, and Delivery Hero

India: 137 orders every minute: Swiggy reveals India's favourite dish in 2022

Swiggy's top customer was in Bengaluru, making a single order of Rs 75,378 placed during Diwali in October.

APAC: JustKitchen Launches "Co-Op" as a Collaborative Culinary and Dine-In Experience in Taiwan

Local Consumers Can Also Now Enjoy the "Let's Eat" Brand that the Company Launched in October with "Hi! Come in", the Hit Reality TV Show on Netflix Taiwan, as well as the Recently Launched "Koko-Bap" Korean Bibimbap Brand

Brazil: Dark kitchens: meet some of the companies that invest the most in this new trend

Article reviews some of the leading players in the space in Brazil.

Our newsletters are a collection of all the news from the previous week related to each digest topic. The focus is on trends, deal announcements, technology, and other industry disruptors and innovations.

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