Ghost Kitchens

Ghost kitchens, also known as dark kitchens, are catering operations without a physical dining area. They focus exclusively on preparing food for delivery or collection (takeaway) and do without tables, chairs or service staff. The concept originally comes from the USA and gained importance in the 2010s, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants had to switch to delivery services.

How ghost kitchens work

Ghost kitchens can be run by private individuals, traditional restaurants or specialised delivery services. Location choice plays a central role: the kitchen should offer good reach for deliveries and enable efficient delivery routes. Through online data analysis, operators make data-driven decisions about popularity, delivery times and customer feedback. The digitalisation of all processes improves efficiency and costing, for example in menu development, stock management and staff scheduling.

Benefits for restaurateurs

The key advantage lies in the lower operating costs, as no dining area and no service staff are required. This saves rent, space, paper menus and renovation costs.

• relocation to cheaper city districts without loss of revenue
• higher profit margins without price increases for guests
• flexible menu design in line with current trends and target groups
• cost sharing through several providers in a shared kitchen
• the option of running several brands under one roof

Importance in catering

Flexible menu design makes it easy to update menus and try out new offerings. One example of an individual catering offering for every occasion and taste is egora: with access to over 100 carefully curated top caterers and menu suggestions within three hours, the versatility of modern catering services for small and large events becomes clear.