With the growth in takeout and delivery orders at the start of the unusual situation last year, several traditional restaurants, as well as new brands, moved to an off-premise-only business model. When cutting overhead, how about supplying consumers with the fantastic food they crave? Who wouldn’t want that as an option?
Ghost kitchens enable operators to start their businesses at a much lower cost. They can, for example, work in a smaller room than if they wanted dine-in space, and in some instances, they can also share a kitchen with other brands inside the ghost kitchen. Furthermore, since many ghost kitchens prefer to work with third-party delivery partners, they can save on labour costs by not having to employ servers or delivery drivers.
However, just because the start-up costs are smaller doesn’t mean there will be less work overall. Order acquisition, order creation, and delivery schedules must all be streamlined and efficient in ghost kitchens. That’s where technology comes in handy.
“The right platform would enable a ghost kitchen to have full control” of acquisition, manufacturing, and fulfillment, says Paul Rubin, PAR’s chief marketing officer. A strong point-of-sale platform will operationalize all facets of a ghost kitchen, but there’s more to think about than that.”
How The Right Technology Contributes To Success
Some ghost kitchens only service one brand, while others can serve many. According to Rubin, the amount of a ghost kitchen may also vary. “The busier the ghost kitchen becomes, and the more brands there are under one room, the more complicated the process becomes. Technology may compensate by breaking down a complicated process into a sequence of simpler, more accessible business processes.”
Furthermore, with the right technologies, a single ghost kitchen can be turned into many different popular brands. There are tons of online ordering software that provides ghost kitchen operators with a turnkey solution for receiving orders from third-party websites, as well as a convenient way to handle merchandise, menus, and more.
The ability to create various menus and brands out of one kitchen with one staff and one rent makes ghost kitchens an attractive option for both independent restaurants looking for a low overhead and existing, established restaurants looking for incremental sales.
Of course, one of the challenges of operating numerous brands out of the same kitchen is ensuring that menus are both correct and up-to-date. If the kitchen runs out of chicken tenders, for example, operators must update the availability of every item that they’re using. Ghost kitchen owners may fail to upgrade menus across channels without the use of technology, resulting in consumers ordering out-of-stock products and, predictably, being frustrated when their order is modified or canceled altogether. These owners, on the other hand, will eliminate challenges like this if they have the right technology in place.
Ghost Kitchens Must Choose The Right Partner
The opportunity for operators looking to start ghost kitchen businesses is enormous. The hope was that ghost kitchens and virtual restaurants (restaurants that exist only online, that is, for takeout or delivery only) will propagate rapidly over the next ten years, but obvious worldwide changes sped things up significantly.
People have become used to buying food over the internet, and the typical off-premise customer is no longer a young adults thing. The demographic of those who place orders has changed. Consumer demand has moved, and restaurants must realize that delivery and off-premise deliveries aren’t a “good to have” or anything to think about.
Getting the best technologies incorporated into the business is critical in order to do so seamlessly. Technology platforms that are both fast and accessible are the best.
Restaurants that use delivery apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub pay rates range from 15% to 30% on each order. Although online restaurants save money on overhead, local small restaurants with razor-thin profit margins cannot afford such payments. However, there are some excellent online ordering services for ghost restaurants. Chefr is one of them.
When you first started with Chefr, the main focus is to increase the number and importance of orders you put. Customers would appreciate not having to wait on an open phone line, and the staff will benefit from not having to answer orders over the phone.
You will boost sales and profits while also establishing a name for your restaurant on the internet and improving customer loyalty thanks to innovative features.
Restaurant owners may continue to create ways for customers to browse their menus, select products, and pay for carryout or delivery orders online as online shopping becomes more popular. Nonetheless, we live in a culture that needs accessibility more than ever before, and is usually allowed by technology.
Chefr delivery systems allow restaurants to quickly and efficiently create exclusive relationships with their customers by encouraging them to order online. They’ll be there to keep the restaurant’s customers aware as the climate evolves and new media channels multiply. Chefr has little influence about the quality of their food or the friendliness of their workers, so they can’t teach them the knowledge they’ll need to succeed in today’s technologically sophisticated world.
Chefr’s Features
Website Ordering
Customers choose to order directly from the restaurant’s ordering system rather than from third-party websites, with 70% doing so. Allow customers to submit orders directly from the website rather than being forwarded to a competitor’s website (and takes a commission on all of your orders). Allow hungry customers to order easily from the website, whether they’re on a laptop or a smartphone.
Receive Restaurant Online Orders Easily
Errors and problems in delivery are no longer a concern. Start using Chefr and say goodbye to taking orders over the phone.
Thanks to the online shopping system, you can now pick up your order in 2 seconds and see all of the information at the same time.
Restaurant orders placed online are often 20% more relevant than phone orders.
Pickup, Curbside, & Delivery
Easily offer in-store pickup and curbside, and use our nationwide network of commission-free delivery partners.
Make Long-Term Relations With Customers
Using useful information, communications experience, and a wide range of marketing strategies, you can transform one-time diners into repeat customers.
Also published on Medium.