Ghost Kitchens

A ghost kitchen sells only through delivery. You will be able to compare ghost-kitchen models and estimate the weekly orders needed to break even before spending on a lease.

• No dining room; lower rent; many brands can share one kitchen.
• Risks: platform fees, no walk-in, reputation depends on ratings.
• Fit: foods that travel well.
• Rules still apply fully.
• Compare three models, a single brand, several brands from one kitchen, and a shared kitchen, using the set-up cost, order volume needed and staffing for each.
• Estimate the weekly orders needed to break even, for example 120 orders at an average of 14 each with a 30 percent food cost, before you commit money. Amounts are in your currency.
• Check which delivery apps are used locally.
• Write allergen lists on a wall chart.

Activity. Compare ghost kitchen with a cafe on five points.

Standard to meet. Build a table with reasons.

Common mistake. Thinking delivery-only means lighter rules.

Check yourself. Which licence do you hold?

Fewer dishes, done well. You will be able to build a short delivery menu of dishes that survive transit, using shared ingredients to cut waste.

• 8 to 12 items with shared ingredients.
• Test how each dish holds for 30 minutes.
• Packaging that keeps heat and shape.
• Allergen list for every dish.
• Choose dishes that travel well for 30 minutes, test each one in a closed delivery box, and drop any that arrive soggy, cold or separated.
• Keep the menu to 8 to 12 items built from shared ingredients, so waste falls and the kitchen can prepare orders faster.
• Keep a cleaning schedule with signatures.
• Calibrate thermometers each week.

Activity. Draft the menu and test three dishes in transit.

Standard to meet. Check that dishes arrive in good condition.

Common mistake. A huge menu.

Check yourself. Which ingredients do dishes share?

Space, rules and flow. You will be able to check local permit needs and plan a kitchen layout that keeps raw food, cooked food and packing apart.

• Layout: receive, store, prep, cook, pack, dispatch.
• Licence and registration of the premises.
• Hand-wash, cleaning schedule, pest control.
• Shared-kitchen agreement.
• Before renting any space, check which permits, registrations and inspections your local authority requires, and keep copies of every document in one folder.
• Plan a layout with separate zones for raw food, cooked food and packing, a dedicated hand-wash sink and a clear cleaning schedule.
• Review packaging costs monthly.
• Pre-pack sides at quiet times.

Activity. Draw the layout and licence list.

Standard to meet. Draw a flow that shows no raw-ready crossing.

Common mistake. Raw and ready foods near each other.

Check yourself. How do you separate raw from ready?

Prevent harm with controls and records. You will be able to write a step-by-step food safety plan with temperature limits, labelled stock and daily records.

• List each step, its hazards, controls, limits and checks, and the action if a limit is missed.
• Temperatures: keep cold food below the limit and hot food above it; cook until the centre is safe.
• Cooling and reheating rules.
• Logs: temperature, cleaning, deliveries.
• Write a simple food safety plan listing each step from ingredient delivery to rider hand-over, the temperature or time limit for that step, and who checks it.
• Record fridge and hot-holding temperatures twice daily on a sheet, label all stored food with a use-by date, and act at once on any reading outside the limit.
• Check each bag against the ticket.
• Keep a spare of key ingredients.

Activity. Write the plan and fill a log for three days.

Standard to meet. Complete and sign the logs.

Common mistake. Logs filled in at the end of the day.

Check yourself. When do you record?

Delivery fees reduce margin. You will be able to cost each dish including platform fees and set prices that protect your margin against delivery commissions.

• Food cost % = ingredient cost / selling price.
• Platform commission can be a large share of each order: check current terms and include it.
• Packaging per order.
• Target margin after all costs.
• Cost each dish by adding ingredients, packaging and a share of platform fees, then set prices so that ingredient cost stays near 30 percent of the selling price.
• Compare your prices with similar nearby kitchens, then test one small increase and watch whether order numbers change over two weeks.
• Take clear photos for each dish.
• Reply to reviews within a day.

Activity. Cost every dish.

Standard to meet. Include commission and packaging in the costs.

Common mistake. Ignoring commission in the price.

Check yourself. What is the commission?

Speed and accuracy win ratings. You will be able to set prep times and order caps so the kitchen stays calm and orders leave on time.

• Order screen; accept time; prep time; rider handover.
• Batch prep for peak hours.
• Check each bag against the ticket.
• Track delays and reasons.
• Set a prep time for each dish, for instance 12 minutes, and cap incoming orders per quarter-hour so the kitchen is never overloaded.
• Time the full cycle from order received to rider hand-off, and review late orders weekly to find whether preparation, packing or pickup causes the delay.
• Track the top three sellers.
• Record waste by dish.

Activity. Run a 2-day simulation or live pilot.

Standard to meet. Calculate the on-time rate.

Common mistake. Not testing a bag.

Check yourself. What packaging did you change?

Win repeat orders. You will be able to present a delivery-only brand with honest photos and use customer reviews to correct recurring problems.

• Name, photos, description.
• Handle reviews politely.
• Small offers that do not hurt margin.
• Collect consent for direct contact.
• Create a clear name, logo and short description, and use real, well-lit photos of the packed meal exactly as customers will receive it.
• Reply to every review within a day, thank the positive ones, and log complaints to see which dish or step keeps causing problems.
• Check the shared-kitchen agreement every quarter.
• Train new cooks on the food safety plan.

Activity. Write listing text and three review replies.

Standard to meet. Write honest, plain text.

Common mistake. Replying to reviews with excuses.

Check yourself. How did you answer your worst review?

Decide whether to grow. You will be able to decide whether to expand using sales, waste and refund figures rather than hopeful guesses.

• Sales, margin, waste, ratings.
• Cut slow dishes.
• Check capacity before adding brands.
• Plan 90 days.
• Review weekly sales by dish, food waste in kilograms and refunds, and remove the two weakest menu items each month.
• Scale only after four consecutive weeks of on-time orders and steady quality, then add opening hours, a second brand or a new delivery area.
• Write a lessons list after the trial.
• Plan the next 90 days with one change at a time.

Activity. Write the trial report.

Standard to meet. Report names three changes.

Common mistake. Adding brands before one works.

Check yourself. What is your waste?

A customer says they have a nut allergy.

Question: What do you do?

Model answer: Follow the allergen plan: check recipes, separate utensils, label the bag, or decline if you cannot be sure.

The fridge reads above the limit.

Question: Next?

Model answer: Check food, discard if above limits for too long, record, repair and note the cause.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Basics of kitchen hygiene

Notes: Describe what a ghost kitchen is and how it differs from a restaurant. Notes: look at a delivery app and note which brands share one address in your area. Standard: a short note of the differences.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Awareness

Notes: Describe the licence, hygiene and delivery rules a delivery-only kitchen must meet. Notes: read your local authority's public food-business page. Standard: five rules listed with their source.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Foundation

Notes: Cost three recipes: ingredients, labour, packaging, platform fee and waste, and set prices. Notes: practice prices with currency. Standard: food cost under a stated percentage, with the arithmetic shown.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Practitioner

Notes: Run a mock service with ten orders: timing, temperature checks, packing and a missed order. Notes: use a licensed kitchen or a model kitchen with a mentor. Standard: every order logged, temperatures recorded.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Specialist

Notes: Plan and run a two-week trial of a delivery-only menu from a licensed kitchen, with costed recipes, a food-safety plan and order records. Notes: include allergen labelling and complaint handling. Standard: no safety record gaps and gross margin reported.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Advanced

Notes: Run several brands from one kitchen with scheduling, hygiene audits and a platform fee review. Notes: add a brand-level margin report. Standard: audit findings closed and each brand's margin reported.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Super expert

Notes: Set the kitchen-level hygiene, order and platform method for ghost kitchens and teach the managers who use it. Notes: run a food-safety review by the book on a set schedule and file the findings.