OnTrend Concepts

Michael Ruiz, contributing writer – 01/19/21

Ghost kitchens, virtual kitchen and delivery-only restaurant models have seen unprecedented success in the past year. The unique confluence of both a rapidly expanding food delivery market as well as an unprecedented public health crisis have not only put ghost kitchens in the spotlight, but uniquely positioned them for success.

Michael Ruiz – Contributing writer for OnTrend Concepts; Content Strategist, Franpos

Ghost kitchens place unique power in the hands of consumers and restaurants alike. Housing multiple brands underneath one roof empowers the whole family to order on one tab and receive their food from one driver. This power comes on top of the standard ability to order from brands across third-party services.

For restaurants, reduced land cost is only a small part of the many benefits arising from the nascent and growing concept. Ghost kitchens provide a sort of ‘online food hall’ with the consumer in mind—giving multiple brands the ability to reach customers simultaneously when ordering directly from the ghost kitchen. 

Restaurant owners likewise have the ability to have their individual brands featured on various, local third-party delivery services. Combine these strengths with a significant overhead reduction from the shared kitchen space, and you now have the ability to grow your brand at scale with far less starting capital.

“What we’re seeing now is a perfect storm of opportunity and chance for ghost kitchens,” says Subodh Gupta, founder and CEO of Franpos. “The global pandemic may have brought online ordering to new heights, but the ghost kitchens have long been waiting in the wings. They were coming sooner rather than later.”

Franpos, Gupta’s point of sale and commerce platform specifically designed for franchise businesses, has been similarly waiting for a moment like this.

For over ten years, the company has cultivated thousands of accounts with a unique value proposition—offering not only a transaction system, but a full commerce platform for revenue growth through eCommerce functionality, growth marketing campaigns, and internal delivery services built right into the system.

Courtesy of Franpos

Franpos is no stranger to franchise business at scale—handling hundreds of locations for brands such as Runza and Menchie’s. Perhaps serendipitously, Franpos’ focus on franchise growth has given them the unique ability to handle specific problems ghost kitchens face in regards to order processing and point of sale.

“Ghost kitchens need a way to send orders across not only multiple menus, but across multiple platforms to the kitchen nearest the customer ordering,” Gupta explains. “Franpos not only consolidates multiple menus, but automatically reports revenues owed to each brand associated with the kitchen.”

By enabling multiple brands to live within a single point of sale account, Franpos gives ghost kitchens the power to monitor and manage their individual locations—all the while removing the administrative burden of royalties. Franpos also provides online websites and mobile apps for ghost kitchens while supporting dozens of third-party platforms to receive orders from.

“We’ve been talking to ghost kitchens for a while now,” Gupta continues. “Each brand we talk with plans to expand across hundreds of locations in a matter of months, and we’re eminently prepared to meet that need.”

With nearly a third of adults and half of millennials choosing delivery over takeout from just two years ago, this billion-dollar market is here to stay. And through innovation, experience, and a focus on brand growth & success, Franpos has already positioned itself as the platform with a superior commerce solution for ghost kitchens on the market today. 

“2021 is going to be the year of the ghost kitchen in the quick service and fast casual markets,” Gupta states. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring such an innovative concept nationwide.”

For more information about Franpos and their ghost kitchen solutions, you can reach out J LaBron Anderson at janderson@franpos.com