Issue #128 – OnTrend Concepts

February 2, 2023

Peter Cook, Editor

This week’s Ghost Kitchen Digest has a great mix of insightful articles/analysis and company news.

The biggest news is the announcement that the 3rd Annual Ghost Kitchen Conference has partnered with the Texas Restaurant Show to co-locate their big events of 2023! This is an unbelievable opportunity to spend two days chatting with ghost kitchen & virtual brand industry leaders, followed by two days of walking the tradeshow floor (and the OnTrend Ghost Kitchen & Off-Premise Pavilion!) at the Texas Restaurant Show! OnTrend will also be involved with the TechStage at the Texas Restaurant Show, so you can expect some panel discussions at the Show related to ghost kitchens, virtual brands, food halls, catering, etc. Mark your calendars! July 7-10 in Houston, Texas!

And now, the news…

Huge Announcement About the 3rd Annual Ghost Kitchen & Virtual Restaurant Conference

A partnership between Texas Restaurant Association and OnTrend Concepts brings together the best of two foodservice worlds. You won't want to miss these co-located events in Houston this July!

Ghost kitchens need to go omnichannel if they want to survive, experts say

After a year of dashed expansion plans, closures and high-profile regulatory infractions, segment players may need brand awareness and expanded access points to thrive.

Problems and Solutions for Restaurant Delivery

As usual, Peter Backman provides some great insights related to food delivery challenges and potential solutions. Catch Peter at the International Ghost Kitchen Conference on March 2 & 3!

Paper: Emerging Opportunities and Increasing Convergence with Traditional Hospitality

Nice overview of the industry, leaders players by region, and funding for major players. Worth a read!

Are C-Stores Becoming Serious Food and Beverage Contenders?

These venues sell about 80 percent of fuel around the country, and 44 percent of customers go inside. About one-third make a purchase.

FG Financial and former Jimmy John’s CEO form Craveworthy restaurant group

Craveworthy is the second project in FG Financial’s newly formed merchant banking division, and includes Chicago-based Budlong Hot Chicken and Krafted Burger + Tap, Raleigh, N.C.-based Wing it On, and newly formed concept, the Lucky Cat Poke Company, which will open its first location in 2023, along with 50 ghost kitchens.

A new ultrafast pizza delivery startup in Philly delivers food in just over 12 minutes on average. Here's how it works.

Muncho's vans launched in November 2021 in Philadelphia. The driver acts as the cook, delivering pizzas en route to their final destination. The average delivery time is 12.5 minutes.

Wow Bao Opens 34 New Dark Kitchen Locations in 31 Days in January

New locations across the USA and in Canada.

Koibito Poké to Open Seven Locations by Summer

In addition to the restaurant’s traditional franchise model, Koibito Poke will also be opening a cloud kitchen concept to operate as a delivery and takeout location only.

Cruising Kitchens: Making Major Moves in 2023 - Boasting Huge Industry Partnerships & Mobile Kitchen Financing

The company, a leader in mobile and modular kitchen solutions, specializes in providing food trucks, food trailers, shipping container kitchens, modular kitchens, and more. With their commitment to changing the definition of a ghost kitchen by making it a walk-up and drive-through, Cruising Kitchens is leading the way into a new era of mobile and modular culinary experiences.

Uber Eats now shows you how much of your information is shared with delivery people

The feature, which is called “View as Delivery Person,” is designed to add a level of transparency when ordering food via the app.

Create a Winning Menu for Your Ghost Kitchen

Following certain guidelines when designing a menu can help avoid issues, streamline the operation and most importantly improve the customer’s experience. In this post, we will discuss some key points to keep in mind when creating a menu for a ghost kitchen and takeaway place.

Headless Commerce Isn't Just Shaking Up Retail: Three Other Industries Being Disrupted

Headless commerce has completely changed how brands sell online. While retail is the best known industry it has disrupted, several others have already been shaken up for the better.

Uber Eats and Visa Partner for Greener Restaurant Packaging

Together, the two companies will make $1 million accessible to qualifying Uber Eats restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Madrid to be used towards funding sustainable packaging solutions.

EU: Barcelona bans grocery delivery companies' 'dark stores'

Barcelona also approved a measure to force so-called "dark kitchens" - kitchen facilities that produce food for home delivery - to be located only in an industrial suburban district.

MENA: Dine Brands International continues expansion with dual-brand locations in the Middle East

New dual-brand location currently open in the United Arab Emirates, with plans to open 4 new locations in the Middle East in 2023 after success with ghost kitchens in the market. Dine Brand’s Regional VP of Franchise Operations in the region, Gary Moore, will be speaking at the International Ghost Kitchen Conference in Amsterdam.

UAE Ramadan: Increase in usage of food, grocery delivery apps

During the holy month of Ramadan, a considerable increase in usage of delivery apps is observed.

2023: A breakout year for the Indian cloud kitchen industry

One of the key trends we can expect to see is an increase in supply within existing markets. With low barriers to entry, more entrepreneurs will be attracted to this business model.

India: Ankit Nagori-led Curefoods aims to expand cloud kitchens across India

Curefoods is expecting to reach annual recurring revenue (ARR) of Rs 1000 crore ($122 million) by the end of this year and it aims to be ready for an IPO in 18 months.

India gets its first-ever smart food court in Pune

Cloud kitchen operator Rebel Foods has launched India's first smart food court in Pune by the name EatSure. Rebel Foods is the 3rd largest food tech company in India after Swiggy and Zomato.

India: Cloud-kitchen brand Bigspoon, Mouni Roy Launches ‘The Pizza People’

The Pizza People is India’s largest Pizza brand launch in a single day as Bigspoon leverages its extensive cloud kitchen network across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. The first phase of launch sees 35 outlets go-live across 15 cities.

JustKitchen Reports Annual 2022 Financial Results

The Company Increased Total Revenue and Number of Retail Deliveries Both by 59% in Fiscal 2022, Which was Offset by a 51% Increase in Comprehensive Loss in the Same Period.

Video of a Recent Techie After Lay-Off

This is an insightful and clever interview with someone recently laid off. I include it due to the insights, and because she mentions cloud kitchens!

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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