Ghost Kitchens, Virtual Restaurants, & Delivery Apps: How Tech is Disrupting Dining

If ghost kitchens sound scary, they’re not – in fact, the tiny, delivery-only restaurants are popping up everywhere in America and Columbus in particular. Fueled by the need to get creative during the pandemic, restaurant operators continue to flock to this innovative business model with its low startup costs.

Among other facilities and restaurants, a 22-kitchen facility is now open in Clintonville, and three Columbus-area Kroger locations now have their own ghost kitchens run by a third party. The keys to this newest innovation in the restaurant industry are smartphone apps that make it easy to order food, fast delivery times, and minimal everything – minimal footprints, minimal staff, and minimal investment capital required of would-be restaurateurs. Don’t look for white tablecloths in ghost kitchens – most have no seating at all, and because patrons typically order through delivery apps like UberEats and DoorDash, many customers don’t even set foot in the restaurant itself or interact directly with their staffs.

The growing practice hasn’t been without critics, with some industry observers noting that what can appear to customers to be a diverse collection of independent restaurants may not live up to a closer look behind the scenes. Yet the kitchens have raised more than $3 billion in venture capital funding since 2020, and entrepreneurs and customers alike appear hungry for more. Join us with industry insiders for a look behind-the-scenes at ghost kitchens in Central Ohio and how this disruptive model is taking over take-out.

Featuring John Barker, President & CEO, The Ohio Restaurant Association, Bennett Goldberg, Partner, Maker Kitchens, Chris Baggott, Co-Founder and CEO, ClusterTruck, and Lisa A. Gutierrez, Founder and CEO, Dos Hermanos Taco Truck, Founder and Food-Based Business Coach, Food Truck Millionaire, with host Susan Post, Associate Editor, Columbus Underground.