They haunted delivery apps in the pandemic. But do ‘ghost kitchens’ still serve new food businesses? [Video]

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You’ve likely come across a few on food delivery apps like Uber Eats or SkipTheDishes. They’re the food businesses that pop up sometimes seemingly overnight, offering delivery, takeout or catering services, but never the option to dine in. 

Of course, they’re not an entirely new phenomenon — so-called “ghost kitchens” gained in popularity during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But perhaps because hungry diners rarely step inside, small business consultant Nina Barango found that for a lot of curious foodies, herself included, they’re still shrouded in mystery. 

It wasn’t until she interviewed a couple who works in one on her podcast The Business Mindsetthat she …