Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop's opened its first ghost kitchen units in California, with one operating from Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood via a partnership with CloudKitchen and the second in Pasadena via a partnership with Kitchen United.
The popularity of ghost kitchen facilities continues to rise among growing chains. The spaces house multiple restaurant kitchens but generally do not offer on-site dining. These facilities feature the equipment, technology and supplies necessary to operate multiple restaurants in one building and are tailor-made for restaurants selling food online for delivery orders.
Capriotti’s ghost kitchen locations help the chain fulfill its growing demand for online ordering and delivery. And, while Capriotti's first two ghost kitchens are corporately owned and operated, franchise interest is booming, according to a release, as the platform is both cost effective and designed to thrive in the age of both online ordering and third-party delivery.
Capriotti’s is introducing ghost kitchen opportunities to franchise partners in available markets as a way to expand their reach beyond traditional brick and mortar. This allows existing owners to expand the customer base by now being able to deliver to more high traffic areas. The chain has partnerships with Door Dash, Postmates, Uber Eats, GrubHub and EZ Cater. “Ghost kitchens are a natural next step and have long been a part of our brand's strategic growth plans. Operating in these innovative new ghost kitchen facilities gives us the opportunity to bring our carefully curated menu to new communities, which is what it's all about,” says CEO Ashley Morris.
Despite the pandemic, Capriotti’s finalized 18 development agreements in the second quarter of this year — and five of them are with franchisees that will operate ghost kitchens in a variety of urban markets.