Commercial kitchens built for delivery
Our commercial ghost kitchens are designed for speed, quality, and scale, making it easy to launch a delivery restaurant with lower risk and lower capital. Unlike traditional commercial kitchens, CloudKitchens locations are fully optimized for delivery food production/food prep, requiring minimal kitchen staff and capital.
What is a ghost kitchen?
A “ghost kitchen” is really just a new name for “shared commercial kitchen space”, similar to a commissary kitchen. Our commercial kitchens are designed using the dark kitchen model to help you succeed in food preparation/delivery and expand your food business, whether you're a food entrepreneur, independent operator, food truck, or established restaurant chain.
Turn-key
solution
Open a ghost kitchen in weeks with less capital, and leverage our proven model for efficient food processing and delivery.*
A team to
support you
Our licensed commercial kitchen facility helps handle the logistics and fulfillment to ensure sure your orders are delivered with more accuracy, in less time.
New customers at
your fingertips
Our commercial restaurant kitchen spaces are located in densely populated areas with the highest volumes of delivery orders, so you can reach more customers online.
Manage orders on
one tablet
Streamline your orders from a single tablet. Our technology integrates all your delivery apps in one place, allowing you to focus on the food.
Build multiple food
concepts
Maximize your order volume by running multiple brands and cuisines out of a single commercial kitchen designed with ample space.
Lower costs, higher
profits
When your labor, real estate costs, overhead, and cost of goods go down, your profits go up.
![Commercial Kitchens](jpg/c6567991-99d9-4a9d-ad40-87cf2fd083ca_latam-kitchen-interior-compressed-concept31d9.jpg)
Shared kitchen & virtual restaurant concepts are perfect for both enterprise level and small food businesses. By eliminating the dining room and front of the house staff, your food business can save on overhead costs (like energy) by utilizing the shared kitchen model.
Focus on creating perfect dishes for your customer while we help you with the cooking area, cooking equipment, and storage area! Not only can we help with commercial kitchen space, we’ll get you up and running as quickly as possible.
Having a designated commercial kitchen/ghost kitchen space for your delivery restaurant will allow you to improve your efficiency or expand to other local cities or even other states.
Ghost kitchens have the same specialized equipment as commercial kitchens such as; a refrigerator, grill, freezer, fryer, prep area, etc. This is a great option for extremely busy restaurants where online delivery orders are becoming overwhelming to take on. This frees up time for your chefs and kitchen staff so they can focus on the flavors and food safety, ensuring a higher quality service in-house.
Ghost kitchens vs. traditional restaurants
Real estate
Brick & mortar
2000ft2
High cost, high traffic address
Ghost Kitchens
200ft2
Same area, low cost low traffic address
Staff required (~)
Brick & mortar
24
Many dedicated to front-of-house
Ghost Kitchens
4
We provide staff to handle all order handoffs and more
Weeks to launch 1 location
Brick & mortar
52w
10 locations 5-10 years
Ghost Kitchens
6w
Multiple locations 1 year
Upfront investment
Brick & mortar
$1M
High investment
Ghost Kitchens
$30k*
Low investment
Break even
Brick & mortar
5y
10% profit on 1M run rate
Ghost Kitchens
6m
10% profit on 1M run rate
All you need and more under the hood
We offer kitchens for modern-day chefs and help get you set up with specialized commercial kitchen equipment and minimal fuss.
Space
- Private kitchen
- Driver pickup area
- Staff locker area
- Restrooms
- Mop wash
- Cold & freezer storage
- Dry storage
Services
- Order pickup & processing*
- Courier handoff
- Cleaning & maintenance
- Safety & health inspections
- Delivery logistics
- Extraction & ventilation
- On-site support staff
- Delivery software
*Level of service dependent on facility
Equipment
- 3 compartment sink
- Prep sink
- Hand sink
- Commercial hood
- Tablet
- Grease-trap/interceptor
Utilities
- Gas points
- Power outlets
- High power lighting
- Cold & hot water lines
- Gas/fire safety system
- WiFi
- Trash / recycle
- Ethernet connections
- Grease/trap cleaning
- Hood/flue cleaning
- Pest control
The word
on the street
What’s required to open a commercial kitchen?
Opening a commercial kitchen involves meeting various requirements that differ based on location, building status, and kitchen type. At a minimum, you will need:
- A business license.
- A food service permit from the local health department.
- Proper zoning and building permits.
- Passing grades on all relevant inspections.
With CloudKitchens, you gain expert assistance navigating the complex permitting, licensing, and inspection processes. Most of the work is already done, including safety and health inspections, making it easier for you to start your business.
What is a ghost kitchen?
A ghost kitchen is a professional kitchen designed to serve a delivery-only customer base. Ghost kitchens lack dining rooms, public-facing signage, and storefront space. They are also known as "dark kitchens."
CloudKitchens’ shared-use modular kitchen facilities simplify the process of opening a delivery-only business. We offer dedicated facilities, onsite staff for fulfillment and maintenance, and proprietary technology that streamlines operations, providing entrepreneurs with professionally equipped cooking and storage space without the need for a traditional setup.
What do I need to get started?
Starting with CloudKitchens for a commercial kitchen rental typically requires an investment of around $30,000. With this setup, you and your team (usually 4-6 people) can keep costs low while focusing on creating your menu and brand identity.
Are commercial kitchens profitable?
Commercial kitchens have the potential to be highly profitable due to their lower overhead costs. Profitability depends on factors such as location, branding, and operating systems.
How does a commercial kitchen help your existing restaurant grow?
Operating a commercial kitchen allows restaurant owners to serve a wider clientele while minimizing overhead costs. It also provides the flexibility to test new menus or even launch new restaurant concepts within the same space.
How much do commercial kitchens cost?
The cost of opening and operating a commercial kitchen varies. With CloudKitchens, you can get your ghost kitchen running with an investment as low as $30,000, significantly lower than the average $1 million required for a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.
How much does it cost to open a commercial kitchen?
Opening a commercial kitchen can cost between $40,000 to $200,000, depending on various factors such as:
- Location: Densely populated areas generally have higher costs.
- Leasing vs. Buying: Leasing is typically cheaper than buying, which can require a substantial deposit.
- Equipment: Costs vary based on the required equipment for your cuisine type. Savings can be found by using pre-owned equipment.
- Licenses and Permits: Costs and types vary by location.
The cost of commercial kitchen equipment and services (ex: equipment installation, planned maintenance, equipment repair, etc.) will vary based on the concept and cuisine type you are planning to launch with your commercial kitchen. You must plan accordingly and factor in equipment like an ice maker, deep fryer, convection oven, steam table, stove, etc.
The total square footage of the commercial kitchen space will determine the overall cost as well.
How do I launch a successful commercial kitchen?
To ensure your commercial kitchen's success, follow these steps:
First, obtain the required Food Handler Card and necessary licenses to comply with local codes. Ensure your kitchen space complies with local food safety practices. Once your kitchen is up and running, market it on top delivery apps like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats to maximize visibility. Promotions such as BOGO or Sponsored Listings can boost your restaurant's visibility on these platforms.
How many staff members does my commercial kitchen need?
To start, you should have at least 3 to 5 back-of-house staff members to handle cooking and prep work. A commercial kitchen can help reduce labor costs by requiring only back-of-house staff and streamlining operations to prepare more delivery orders with less overhead.
CloudKitchens provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for launching and operating a commercial kitchen, helping you focus on growing your food business.
Hearing is believing
Hear from the chefs and entrepreneurs growing their restaurant business with CloudKitchens ghost kitchens.
![partner-commercialkitchen](https://images.prismic.io/cloudkitchens-main/db2edd16-db21-4615-851e-3bdec0b4f097_image--testimonial-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=0%2C0%2C1100%2C910&w=600&h=496&fit=max)
Coffee Q
Julio A — Owner & chef
![chef-commercialkitchen](https://images.prismic.io/cloudkitchens-main/003d07c0-bcc1-40c4-ac90-ac6d5bf0c877_image--testimonial-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=0%2C0%2C446%2C530&w=300&h=357&fit=max)
Build a Pizza
Dolores A — Owner & chef
![cook-commercialkitchen](https://images.prismic.io/cloudkitchens-main/494a3d23-a06b-4b03-9170-8dbbc0eb4630_image--testimonial-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=0%2C0%2C446%2C530&w=300&h=357&fit=max)
Wokker
Marco J — Owner & chef
![owner-commercialkitchen](https://images.prismic.io/cloudkitchens-main/136a3cdb-2bcd-4d8a-b04a-96cdb958eb84_image--testimonial-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=0%2C0%2C446%2C530&w=300&h=357&fit=max)
Oh my Gogi
Nathan C — Owner & chef
![restaurateur-commercialkitchen](https://images.prismic.io/cloudkitchens-main/e65461c3-3c89-418a-aa9e-86f2ac3ad2a9_image--testimonial-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&rect=0%2C0%2C446%2C530&w=300&h=357&fit=max)
Craft Burger
Shannen T — Owner & chef