Wingstop will debut in Spain with the upcoming openings of two ghost kitchens in Madrid. Two additional, delivery-only locations of the fast-casual chicken-wings chain in Spain’s capital will follow. Partnering with a logistics-kitchen provider made this market entry possible. It precedes large-scale growth in Spain, which has become a key target growth market for Wingstop.
Saladworks will open 20 new delivery locations across Central Florida through an agreement with Combo Kitchen. Customers throughout the territory will be able to start ordering delivery from Saladworks as early as March 25. Combo Kitchen’s franchise system partner, WingHouse Bar & Grill, will prepare these orders inside dark kitchens.
Chicago’s The Cumin Bowl and its customizable Indian bowls expanded into Atlanta through a partnership with Franklin Junction. The new location landed at a Buckhead UPop convenience store by Savi Provisions. Dark-kitchen operator Franklin Junction enabled the entry into the Atlanta market through its host kitchen program.
Kitchen United MIX launched a new ghost kitchen center inside a Kroger in The Heights neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Through the MIX platform, Kroger customers will order food from various restaurants. This can be done online, via mobile or at a kiosk in-person.
New Grab Go Eat locations opened in Garden City, N.Y. and Torrance Calif., courtesy of Apex Order Pickup Solutions technology. Apex Order is a purveyor of contactless, smart, order-pickup solutions, while ghost-kitchen provider Kitchen United powers Grab Go Eat. Their partnership will expand as these two additional pickup locations open.
Wow Bao will accelerate its ghost kitchen program in Canada through an expanded agreement with Ghost Kitchen Brands. The partnership deployed eight Ghost Kitchen Brands locations, today, February 11. Additional points of sale will open in Alberta by the end of the first quarter.
Fuku Lexington, Ky. is the newest home of the concept’s elevated chicken sandwiches, as it opens within the delivery perimeter of the University of Kentucky. The new opening was made possible through a deal with Franklin Junction, a dark-kitchen network that provides access to major brands through off-premises dining. Fuku’s food will be offered on major third-party delivery providers, including through UberEats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates.
Ghost kitchens are providing new outlets for growth, spurring a race among some of the largest hospitality and restaurant players to establish a presence in this rapidly-expanding arena both regionally and nationally. Because they can lower cost barriers to entry and expansion for smaller restaurant operators, ghost kitchens offer seemingly ideal growth opportunities, especially now, as consumers—particularly Millennial and Gen Z—adopt digital ordering, takeout and delivery in far greater numbers than previous generations.
The number of Focus Brands non-traditional locations are growing quickly due to a steadfast focus in these formats. The parent of Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, has grown its non-traditional units to 954. These include points of sales at airports, convenience stores, amusement parks, colleges, ghost kitchens, and other high-footprint venues.
Ghost-kitchen behemoth Reef Technology acquired 2ndKitchen, a virtual foodservice provider to hotels and offices. 2ndKitchen also services a variety of hospitality companies, buildings and venues. In turnkey fashion, it takes care of initial payment, deploying ordering, payment, fulfillment, and customer support services.
