US Foods joins growing list of ghost kitchen services to help with off-premise push

New programs by US Foods and ShiftPixy to support operators as they transition to off-premise models follow a years-long rise in popularity in the industry of ghost kitchens, as well as a timely response to the off-premise needs of operators amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Foodservice delivery sales more than doubled between 2014 and 2019, and market research firm Euromonitor predicts that ghost kitchens could be a $1 trillion global market by 2030. 

ShiftPixy CEO Scott Absher cited the “combined forces of gig economics and COVID” as driving the trend toward off-premise. Significant cost-savings on rent and labor expenses come with the ghost kitchen model, and could pave the way for greater automation in service and food production. 

Kitchen United, as well as competitors such as CloudKitchens and Reef Technology, have led the expansion of ghost kitchens, but major QSRs including Bloomin’ Brands, McDonald’s, and Red Robin have recently piloted their own in-house models. Services such as those offered by US Foods and ShiftPixy could offer opportunities for smaller brands to develop their off-premise operations. Because ShiftPixy aids restaurants’ native mobile apps rather than being consumer-facing, operators can track consumers’ data, and avoid commissions charged by third-party apps such as Uber Eats, according to The Spoon.