Iraq’s Leezoo Closes Seven Figure Seed Round
Northern Gulf Partners, a frontier market investment firm, and California-based Pay It Forward Venture Capital, have led a seven-figure US dollar seed round investment in Lezzoo, a delivery and e-payment platform that aims to become Iraq's first super-app.
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Is There A Path to Profitable Grocery Delivery?
The rapid acceleration in delivery demand has caused major delays, sold-out items and operational glitches — mostly stemming from siloed technology. At the same time, low-margin products and additional costs associated with hiring more delivery staff have eaten into profits. And online growth looks set to continue strengthening. Addressing these challenges to drive operational efficiency requires becoming a truly connected retailer.
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When COVID-19 Accelerated the Demand for Off-Premise Dining, Restaurants Sprang into Action
Even before March 2020, restaurant experts predicted the rise of off-premise dining options to meet growing consumer expectations for online ordering. The demand grew exponentially as consumers sought food options while sheltering in place to combat COVID. The rise of bundles, family packaged options and even of terms such as ‘contactless’ pickup and ‘touchless’ menus have become part of the new norm.
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Third-Party Delivery Is More Important Than Ever
An increasingly popular alternative to in-house delivery is to utilize a third-party delivery service. These platforms can give thousands of new customers access to a restaurant’s products, increase brand visibility in their area and allow them to ring up sales for off-premise dining.
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The Buzz Around Cloud Kitchens
With a business model that’s as pandemic-adjacent as possible, a cloud kitchen, also sometimes called a ghost kitchen, is a virtual restaurant or RAAS (Restaurantsas-a-service) that is designed for online ordering and delivery.
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Is Your Restaurant Ready for Ghost Kitchens?
Ghost kitchens. You’ve heard about them nonstop since the pandemic overturned the foodservice industry and forced almost every restaurant in the country to go off-premises. And with the fate of the restaurant dining room still very much uncertain (see below), we’ll see more restaurants turn to the ghost kitchen model in the future.
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Can Ghost Kitchens Save Restaurants?
In Washington DC, Ghostline—an establishment that will gather several chefs cooking in different styles to offer takeout, delivery, and limited patio seating—will open for business Sept. 1, without serving customers inside. Besides Ghostline, Pasadena, CA-based Kitchen United and Houston-based Click Virtual Food Hall seem to be among the only other ghost food halls in the U.S.
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Virtual Restaurant Group Launches Ghost Kitchen Franchise Model
The concept, which uses ghost kitchens to operate commissary-style production facilities with delivery-only service nationwide, brings 50 brands to existing spaces of independent restaurant owners seeking new ways to maintain their businesses in the changing COVID-19 restaurant market.
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