US Foods' Ghost Kitchens Playbook Program Receives Innovation Award
US Foods Holding Corp. has been named a 2021 Chicago Innovation Award winner for its for its Ghost Kitchens Playbook.
[US Foods Debuts Ghost Kitchens Program]
The company was awarded the Accenture Corporate Innovator Award, an award that celebrates a large corporation for its commitment to innovation. US Foods is one of 20 Chicago Innovation Award winners selected from more than 425 nominations.
The playbook is a free program that was launched in response to dine-in restrictions created by the pandemic to help guide restaurant operators through every step of launching a new ghost kitchen revenue stream within their existing brick-and-mortar location. The program includes access to proprietary technology to identify the right ghost kitchen concept, marketing strategy support, and one-on-one consultations with US Foods experts.
Soaring Demand
Ghost kitchen concepts are exploding; by 2030, they are predicted to hold a 50% share of the drive-thru/takeaway foodservice markets.
Brands are seeing soaring demand for off-premises dining, and restaurants are leveraging ghost kitchens, dark kitchens and virtual brands. Just last month, 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.
US Foods helped operators make the shift during the early days of the pandemic.
“It is an honor to be awarded with a Chicago Innovation Award for our approach to helping foodservice operators drive alternative revenue streams during one of the most challenging times in the restaurant industry,” said Jim Osborne, US Foods senior vice president of customer strategy and innovation. “As part of our commitment to helping independent restaurant operators ‘Make It’, our Ghost Kitchens Playbook was one of many programs we launched to help operators succeed during the pandemic and beyond. We are thrilled to be recognized for this work.”
“As a group, 2021 Chicago Innovation Award nominees are responsible for generating over $19 billion in new revenues, 22,807 new jobs, and 340 patents from their nominated new products and services. The winners represent the best from this very impressive group,” said Luke Tanen, president and CEO of Chicago Innovation.
The complete list of this year’s Chicago Innovation Award winners can be found at www.chicagoinnovation.com.