The Cloud Kitchen Concept

Can a Cloud Kitchen Save You Money? 

The short answer is that, yes, a cloud kitchen can save you money in all kinds of ways. That’s because delivery-only kitchens are a great way to lower your overhead and cut administrative costs that are common in restaurant businesses. 

Lower overhead 

If you’ve run a traditional restaurant, you’re probably too familiar with the many costs involved. There are the utilities, the property taxes, and the maintenance costs, to name a few. None of these costs come into play when you’re running virtual kitchens! If you’re leasing the space, the provider takes care of taxes. Depending on your agreement, your utilities could also be covered by the lease, as well as for any maintenance work that needs to be done.

Now, if you are operating a food truck, your primary overhead cost will be utilities, followed by the maintenance of equipment as well as the vehicle itself. All in all, it’s a reasonably minimal expenditure.

If you’re leasing commercial space, you should look for a provider who can help you handle any other administrative hassles like health inspections, cleaning services, security, and necessary repairs. The perks of running a ghost kitchen are that, ideally, you get to focus on making the best possible meals for your customers. The goal is to find a setup where administrative matters can be handled by someone else – like the owner of the space you are leasing.

Lower payroll costs 

Running a restaurant takes a lot of staff. You need to hire a host or hostess to greet customers at the door. Waitstaff, cashiers, bartenders, busboys, and kitchen crew are also part of your payroll. For restaurants that deliver, able delivery riders should also be employed.

On the other hand, if you are running kitchen facilities, you only need to staff your kitchen. Because you aren’t running a dining room, your employee headcount decreases. Just make sure to hire great cooks and sign up for delivery apps.

Expand Your Restaurant Business with a Cloud Kitchen

Traditional restaurants are rooted in place and are generally housed within cement walls. Although many traditional restaurants offer some delivery service, their primary design is still to bring customers into the dining room.

In contrast, a cloud setup encourages you to broaden your consumer reach. Rather than content yourself with targeting a specific zone, the food menu that you provide can attract customers from other localities. Thanks to food delivery apps, users can choose to look at food options in neighboring cities.

To make the most of these online delivery solutions, it would help to brand your packaging clearly. Think of your food containers as an inexpensive way to advertise your business.

Of course, if you’re running a food truck, it is even easier to extend your food services throughout your local area. Simply keep your truck moving as you look for great new locations! Many food trucks find that using social media is a great avenue to generate buzz about their food. Customers often have a lot of fun following food trucks on Twitter and speculating about where they might pop up next.

Getting Ready to Run a Cloud Kitchen

If you’re serious about running a cloud kitchen, your first step involves thoroughly putting together your menu.

That’s because you’ll need a menu that reflects the unique needs of takeout and delivery customers. You’ll need to sit down and go through your meal offerings carefully to make sure that they all can be delivered efficiently, from commissary kitchens to your customer’s doorstep without spilling or making a mess. You’ll also need to make sure that all of your menu items are the kind of things that can be served well after they’re prepared. These foods should look and taste as great as when they were first prepared.

This means you’ll want to veer away from foods that need any kind of tableside final touches. For example, any food that needs a sauce to be poured over at the last minute is an absolute no-go for the delivery business.

It’s also a good idea to add some grab-and-go items, especially if you’re running a food truck where people might want to just run up and get food quickly. What are grab and go items? Typical items include sandwiches (already wrapped up) or pastries; they might also include salads (possibly with the dressing on the side, to reduce the risk of sogginess) and wraps, or even soups and burritos. These are often food items that can be prepared beforehand and can be consumed with ease. The possibilities of these menu options are almost endless.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re an experienced restaurant owner or simply someone interested in getting into the food business, cloud kitchens are a great option to consider.

When you open a restaurant business with only ghost kitchens, you’re looking at a lot less risk than you’d have to open a traditional restaurant. That’s because both the upfront costs and the overhead are much lower. Furthermore, partnering your industrial kitchen with a food delivery service allows you to reach a wider customer base than a conventional restaurant would.

As you may have also noticed, the dynamics of dining out have changed drastically due to the health-related concerns that have afflicted the world. Nowadays, individuals who used to partake in public social gatherings have slowly shifted towards enjoying meals with friends and family in a more private environment.

The creation of these bubbles has, in turn, created a stronger food industry that follows the online delivery trend. It only makes sense for establishments to focus their efforts on communal kitchens or shared kitchens that can prepare good tasting food efficiently and safely.

Hopefully, this guide has given you a good overview of everything you need to know about opening your cloud kitchen! Good luck in this exciting new endeavor.