Ghost Kitchens Partners With Walmart Canada

Ghost kitchens have taken off during the pandemic as restaurants, from mainstream brands to high-end eateries, invest in dedicated facilities to prepare and deliver meals, according to the press release on BusinessWire.

The essence of the idea

Customers can order freshly prepared meals in-store and online for contactless pickup or delivery (from a third-party app such as Uber Eats), and mix and match from more than 20 well-known brands including: Quiznos, The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Pepe’s Perogies, Rocky’s Italian, Canadian Jerk, Slush Puppie, Monster Cupcakes, Saladworks, Beyond Meat, Amaya Indian Street Food, Taco del Mar, Lola’s Latin Food, Tazo, Crêpe Delicious,and CPG brands like Red Bull, Nescafé and Ben & Jerry’s with more being added. All meals are prepared in one kitchen for one pickup or delivery. Ghost Kitchen Brands reaches consumers when, where, and how they want their favorite eats.

The common denominator

“Walmart Canada is a perfect strategic partner for us as we continue to innovate and reinvent the restaurant industry with our unique restaurant concept,” said George Kottas, Founder and CEO of GKB. “We are both one-stop shops and we recognize the value in affordable, convenient solutions for our customers.”

“We believe in Ghost Kitchen’s strategy and vision and we’re very excited to be the first retailer to team up with Ghost Kitchens,” said Sam Hamam, Senior Director of Licensees at Walmart Canada. “We’re always looking at ways to improve our customer shopping experience with greater access to affordable products, services and brands.”

Rapid expansion

The pandemic has helped Ghost Kitchen Brands expand as Canadian consumers look for seamless integration of restaurant offerings, frictionless experiences, as well as the comfort of well-known restaurant and consumer goods brands combined. The company’s lean operations and leading-edge technologies allow it to operate dozens of international brands under one banner. “Our goal is to open a Ghost Kitchen every 12 kms across Canada, and be able to reach every Canadian, in every urban market within 30 minutes, 24/7,” added Marc Choy, President of GKB.

As grocers, which have become de facto meal destinations during the pandemic, test new takeout options, it raises the question of what store-level dining will look like in the years ahead. One pressing issue is how ghost kitchen concepts and in-store restaurants, a major investment for grocers in recent years, might coexist in a post-pandemic world.