Issue #134 – OnTrend Concepts

March 16, 2023

Peter Cook, Editor

Plenty of ghost kitchen news this week! Articles on the growth of delivery and ghost kitchens, and on the demise of delivery and ghost kitchens. We don’t write most of the articles, my friends, we just include articles we think you might want to read! They don’t always agree!

We’ve added some great speakers for the 3rd Annual Ghost Kitchen Conference (in Houston this July). We’re just getting started on the agenda, so please let me know if what topics and speakers you would love to see.

And now, the news…

Grubhub CEO Adam DeWitt resigns

JET appointed Howard Migdal, current CEO of JET’s Canadian subsidiary SkipTheDishes, as EVP of North America and CEO of Grubhub. Steve Puchala, SkipTheDishes’ SVP of growth and restaurant success, will serve as interim CEO for the brand, reporting to Migdal.

Delivering on the potential: the next stage for meal delivery

Food delivery has a “very bright” future ahead of it, with ghost kitchens and virtual brands playing a vital role within that, but business models will have to get a lot more durable, says Euromonitor’s Stephen Dutton.

Delivery Demand Keeps Driving Growth in Restaurant Industry

The food delivery segment is projected to reach $231.3 billion in 2023.

Why Kitchen United is pumping the brakes on mall strategy

Grocery outposts through its Kroger partnership give Kitchen United better access to customers and deeper relationships with partner restaurants, executives said.

Building Your Tech Stack

Get a glimpse into the “Building Your Tech Stack” panel at the Internationak Ghost Kitchen Conference. Sriram Subramanian addresses the topic.

No, 'Stranger Things' star Noah Schnapp didn't open his own restaurant. It's the latest 'virtual brand' offering from IHOP.

IHOP is offering a menu of delivery-only chicken meals developed by "Stranger Things" star Noah Schnapp.

Neat Burger Opens First US Location With Help From Leonardo DiCaprio

Vegan brand will also expand via ghost kitchens as it enters the US.

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery Franchise Fires Up Growth

The increase in franchise inquires come on the heels of Perkins Restaurant & Bakery® adding successful ghost kitchens, flexible formats, and 60 years of success. Growth is on the menu for 2023.

What Do You Want to Talk About?

Take a survey on what topics you think we should include on the agenda for the 3rd Annual Ghost Kitchen & Virtual Restaurant Conference. The LinkedIn polling tool is limited, so provide your feedback in the comments section (or reply to this email with suggestions!).

Meredith Sandland and Carl Orsbourn's New Book, Delivering the Digital Restaurant: The Path to Digital Maturity Available Now

The highly anticipated follow-up to their bestseller, Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food, helps restaurants take concrete steps to implement their digital future.

NextGen Food Robotics Announces Development of AI-Powered App

NextGen Food Robotics is pleased to announce that it has commenced development of an AI-powered mobile application to support its ghost kitchen and food manufacturing divisions.

How QR Code Menus and Other Tech Solutions Help Restaurants Future-Proof Their Businesses

So now it’s just a matter of finding which technologies are actually worth investing in. It pays to ask: what do you need for your restaurant? And how much are you willing to spend on software, so you’re able to run your operations better?

Interesting Data on the Number of Virtual Brands in Some Major Cities

KitchenData LinkedIn post worth looking at.

‘Cloud kitchen’ is the new buzzword in dining today, but is it here to stay?

Dhaval Udeshi, Co-Founder, Chrome Asia Hospitality, and Awadesh Jha, Director, Food & Beverage, Holiday Inn International Airport Mumbai, answer queries that pop up about the rise of cloud kitchens, the pitfalls to avoid if starting one and whether the trend is here to stay…

Ghost kitchens on the rise in Memphis

Memphis has long been known for its barbecue, but now many are choosing to get their food delivered through apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub.

The brands behind some of Richmond's ghost kitchens

Last week, three new restaurants will celebrate their Richmond openings, but you'll never dine in any of them.

After a pandemic boom, Florida lawmakers seek to regulate 'ghost kitchens' and food trailers

Florida House Bill 415 would give the state oversight of the licensing and permitting process of temporary commercial kitchens around the state — think ghost kitchens or kitchens in portable trailers.

Podcast: How to Thrive in the Age of Digital Restaurants

In this episode, Carl Orsbourn and Carl Jacobs discuss what it means to be a digital restaurant, how to avoid the pitfalls of a virtual operation, the importance of marketing and when restaurants will reach digital maturity.

Podcast: A look into third-party delivery, virtual brands and ghost kitchens

Podcast talks about the future of some of the biggest pandemic trends in the restaurant tech space and where they’re headed. Not a lot new for those already familiar with the industry. Neither participant is much of a fan of ghost kitchens or virtual brands.

South America: brand builders look for dark kitchens in Argentina

Two brothers started their first dark kitchen ten years ago, sold it a year ago, and are now expanding with Atomic Kitchens.

UAE: The Future Of Delivery In The UAE: Five Trends To Watch Out For

From groceries and pizza to medical supplies and parcels, here's a look at five disruptive delivery trends, and the UAE's role in the future of delivery.

EU/MENA: Spanish FoodTech start-up Burger Index raises $1.3m to drive expansion in GCC

Burger Index provides food and beverage data analytics for restaurants, cloud kitchens, food brands and distributors, enabling companies to track everything that happens in the market in real time.

MENA: Food quality ‘incredibly hard’ to maintain as delivery demand soars

F&B experts met at the in Riyadh to discuss the unstoppable rise of food deliveries.

India: Quick Look at the Leading Cloud Kitchen Operators

Informative LinkedIn post on India’s cloud kitchen industry.

India: Rebel Foods, Dunzo Backer Lightbox Pushes New Fund Launch As Focus Shifts To Exits

Focus is shifting to exiting from investments from first two funds.

India: Zomato and Swiggy focus on core strengths to drive profitability

Both companies had made substantial investments in cloud kitchens, which were once touted as a great opportunity. However, they seem to have drawn the curtains on their cloud kitchen plans. Swiggy has sold off its business, Access Kitchens, to Kitchens@, a cloud kitchen infrastructure operator. In exchange, Swiggy has become a stakeholder in Kitchens@.

India: Lack Of Quality, Saturation Key Struggles of Indian Cloud-Kitchens: Report

India’s commissary cloud kitchens have been touted as the future of the food industry, promising low overhead costs and high-profit margins. However, recent reports suggest that many of these kitchens are failing to live up to their potential. So, why are India’s commissary cloud kitchens struggling?

India: Falisha Techoworld, By Entrepreneur Ali Asgar Shirazi launches Falisha Venture Capital Firm to Invest in Startups

They have already invested almost near to a $1M in the seed round of Hustlers Hospitality – a promising cloud kitchen and QSR company, which has just signed up 2 celebrity brands named “BURGIIR” with Mr. Abdu Rozik and second yet to be revealed.

Africa: Nigeria’s Pocketfood launches “digital cafeteria” solution for offices, professionals

Nigerian startup Pocketfood has launched a “digital cafeteria” that offers corporate businesses and busy professionals individualised food selections.

Asia: On The Border Expands to South Korea with Ghost Kitchens

The growth plans include introducing additional ghost kitchens and three full-service style restaurants to be opened by the end of the year.

Asia: Grab launches cloud kitchen in Cebu

Grab Philippines announced the entry of GrabKitchen offering in Cebu, the first cloud kitchen of the leading super app outside of Luzon.

Turkey: Mizanplus Cloud Kitchens, transforming businesses into cloud kitchens, receives investment

Mizanplus Cloud Kitchens' 4 pre-seed investment was led by HiVC and Aura B1YO 4st GDYF.

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.

Name
First Last
Email*
Newsletters
Mailpoet Subscribe*
- Ghost Kitchen Digest
- Spirits Sales & Marketing Digest
- Drive-Thru Digest
CAPTCHA
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We will only email you relevant news, analysis and announcements along with occasional sponsored content. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Share Your News

Send us your press releases and any other news articles which you believe would be of interest to our readers. Email submissions to contact@ontrendconcepts.com

Advertising

Do you provide delivery services or technology? Advertise in our newsletters!