Ghost Kitchens: Redefining the Delivery Scene, one Virtual Kitchen at a Time

Ghost Kitchens’ Brands Founder George Kottas’ on future-proofing his delivery business:

I never thought in my wildest dreams not having a store presence would work, but now with more than 15 stores open and a plan to open 100 more by the end of the year here we are. We are elated with the growth we have seen and thrilled with our partnership with Unilever.

Back in 2017, Founder George Kottas’ breakfast only restaurant had 30 missed orders after-hours on a 3rd party delivery platform. Due to the inability to quickly correct their hours of operation George decided to stay open and accept orders - inspired by the idea of using a closed restaurant for delivery after hours. “ A lightbulb went off instantly,” he said. “Within a week or so I started getting my staff to stay from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Within two or three weeks, I had staff staying until midnight and within a month, I went 24 hours.” Using this breakfast restaurant as a ghost kitchen, he then began to experiment with running multiple concepts as virtual kitchens out of his facility.

Since its inception, Ghost Kitchen Brands has grown to more than 20 locations in 2 provinces, operating virtual concepts for more than 15 brands and growing. As a virtual food hall, Ghost Kitchen Brands is uniquely positioned to help packaged good brands such as Tazo to gain consumer exposure, by delivering branded food experiences to consumers by leveraging the direct ability of partner delivery apps – such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and SkipTheDishes. Ghost Kitchen Brands will continue to expand their footprint of rolodex of offerings for years to come. Establishing their expertise in the space, Ghost Kitchens’ Brands has expanded their “mini distribution center model”, as a unique player in the food delivery business with multiple concepts operating out of a sole kitchen.

Learning how to target Guest Demographics in the Food Delivery Business

Prior to 2017 delivery was only available from select cuisines through exclusive channels, leaving consumers with limited offerings and even worse availability. Since then, there have been drastic change in consumer habits as 3rd party delivery platforms gain incredible traction by offering local favourites through delivery. Millennials are often considered the “customization generation”, and 3rd party delivery platforms have allowed them to pick and choose what they want, whenever they want it.

Fast forward to 2020 and consumer demand for delivery has exploded. Ghost Kitchen Brands was once an unknown concept, has now become a sought-after approach to opening a restaurant. With their innovative partnerships, the Ghost Kitchens Brands team uniquely appeal to the millennial demographic with innovative offerings and branded experiences – including everything from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to TAZO tea drinks.

TAZO Partnership

TAZO is excited to partner with Ghost Kitchen Brands to continue to expand our tea offerings with the new Tea House by TAZO, an innovative branded experience by TAZO tea and Ghost Kitchens Canada - offering everything from innovative bubble teas to classic lattes! Check out the Tea House by TAZO on Uber, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash.