Kitchen United Expands in NYC

Kitchen United opened its newest location at 307 W. 38th Street in Manhattan. The opening marks the company’s third New York City location, and follows the recent news that the company has bought software and ghost kitchen developer, Zuul. The acquisition lead to Zuul’s existing locations in the Soho and Hudson Yards neighborhoods rebranded as a Kitchen United MIX kitchen center last month.

The newest ghost kitchen center for the company is located in a high traffic area on Manhattan’s west side, surrounded by major transit hubs, professional and residential buildings and well-known tourist attractions. The new site has approximately 6,400 square feet at ground level, and will feature national, regional and local restaurant operators on opening day, including Wingstop, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Chili’s, Burger Village, Han Dynasty, Hawaiian Bros, and Café Habana.

 

[75% of consumers prefer to order delivery direct from the restaurant, according to HT's 2021 Customer Engagement Technology Study.]

 

Soaring Demand

Brands are seeing soaring demand for off-premises dining, and restaurants are leveraging ghost kitchens, dark kitchens and virtual brands.  Just last week, Dine Brands International debuted its first virtual IHOP location in Toronto. Recently, Bbot revealed its plans to help virtual brands optimize delivery-only models. And depending on how you look at ghost kitchens, Walmart's plans could be your greatest dream or your worst nightmare.

“With our third NYC location, we are right where people live and work to help restaurants capitalize on the massive shift to off-premise dining while offering locals a high quality, unique to-go experience from their favorite food concepts,” said Michael Montagano, CEO at Kitchen United. “The opportunity for restaurants to scale with off-premise business was evident before the pandemic, and the demand for delivery and takeout almost two years later continues to accelerate, making an off-premise strategy a critical component for any operator going forward.”

The announcement proceeds the company’s recently announced partnerships with grocery retailer, Kroger, as well as shopping center company, Westfield. Kitchen United expects to open its first grocery kitchen center  inside a Ralphs in Los Angeles this year, along with several more locations anticipated to open by the end of the year.