Cracker Barrel debuts Los Angeles ghost kitchen

Cracker Barrel Kitchen will deliver the chain's menu through DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, and marks the casual chain's entry in the City of Angels. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 26, 2021

TGI Fridays snags sales lift from C3 virtual brand, plans to expand it

The chain began testing Krispy Rice in Orange County, California, and Maryland restaurants, with sales at these units nearly doubling from the first week.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 22, 2021

Reef temporarily shuts down modular kitchens in New York City

The ghost kitchen platform's brick-and-mortar stores are still open in the market, and the modular kitchens were voluntarily closed after permits for those units expired, Reef said in a statement. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 22, 2021

How 5 new QSR designs optimize the off-premise experience

From multiple drive-thru lanes to GPS-enabled curbside pickup, fast food brands are embracing new designs to create frictionless off-premise channels.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 20, 2021

C3 secures another $10M in funding

With this investment, Creating Culinary Communities also gains access to invitation-only, private capital investor Lurra Capital's global partners to facilitate growth. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 15, 2021

Restaurants need to break past third-party delivery apps

Never underestimate the internal efforts needed to get your organization aligned for digital growth, writes Matt Carinio, VP of strategy and consulting at Hathway.

By Matt Carinio • Oct. 14, 2021

Chick-fil-A customers sue chain over 'deceitful' delivery costs

The proposed class action lawsuit claims that though the QSR promised a flat, low-price delivery fee of $2.99 to $3.99, it charged 25% to 30% more for food ordered online for delivery than food ordered in-store or for pickup. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 13, 2021

DoorDash beefs up ad capabilities for restaurants, CPG brands

The delivery platform is working to generate additional revenue as its growth slows from the highs reached during the pandemic's peak.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 12, 2021

How host kitchens are propelling virtual brands forward

Despite the rapid expansion, many experts question whether delivery-only concepts have long-term sustainability.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 11, 2021

TGI Fridays will launch 300 ghost kitchens with Reef Technology

This is Reef's first deal with a global casual chain, which comes just a few months after the firm announced major expansion plans with 800 Degrees Pizza and Wendy's. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 8, 2021

Reef Technology acquires logistics partner Bond

The acquisition strengthens Reef's distribution capacity, which will now include Bond's last-mile delivery nano-warehouses.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 7, 2021

Want to expand through host kitchens? Here's what you need to know.

Brands should keep in mind how they plan to maintain consistency in food quality and the customer experience.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 7, 2021

ChowNow launches Order Better Network

The commission-free, online ordering platform can now connect restaurants to more than a dozen channels for delivery and takeout orders, including Yelp, OpenTable and Snapchat. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 5, 2021

All Day Kitchens receives $65M in funding for expansion

This latest round of funding brings the total money raised by the ghost kitchen platform to $102.5 million since its founding in 2018. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 4, 2021

Recipe for revenue: Why restaurants are becoming host kitchens

Restaurants are leveraging unused kitchen capacity to facilitate the delivery of other brands and rake in extra cash.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 4, 2021

Reef Technology to open 500 ghost kitchens with 800 Degrees Pizza

The deal, which will add units in the U.S., Canada and international markets, comes less than two months after Reef partnered with Wendy's to open 700 kitchens.  

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 30, 2021

Cousins Subs adds a storefront to its ghost kitchen

The restaurant chain now offers seating for 14 guests and pickup at the previously delivery-only unit, which opened in downtown Milwaukee in 2019.  

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 28, 2021

Grubhub to give $2M in grants to LGBT restaurant owners

The delivery giant is partnering with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to provide grants between $5,000 and $100,000 to vulnerable restaurants.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 27, 2021

Why alcohol delivery will still be a big opportunity post-pandemic

Alcohol delivery is at the nexus of two big trends: on-demand delivery and eCommerce.

Sept. 27, 2021

New York City Council passes delivery worker protection laws

The legislation includes a requirement for restaurants to provide couriers access to their bathrooms and set minimum pay for workers, representing the broadest protections for these workers in the U.S. 

By Julie Littman • Sept. 24, 2021

Uber Eats adds search feature for takeout orders

Users who open the map on the Uber Eats app can search for any type of cuisine to find out what's nearby, including the exact distance from a selected location.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 23, 2021

DoorDash rolls out alcohol delivery to 20 states

Customers can toggle to the alcohol tab in the company's app to search for beverages from restaurants, grocery stores, local retailers and convenience stores.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 20, 2021

NYC pauses restaurant data-sharing law

The city agreed not to enforce the contested statute until the case filed by DoorDash is resolved, according to court documents filed Monday.

By Julie Littman • Updated Oct. 5, 2021

Chick-fil-A to launch 3 virtual concepts in Nashville

This fall, guests ordering from the chain's delivery kitchen concept Little Blue Menu can order from Flock & Farm, Garden Day and Outfox Wings, as well as menu items from Chick-fil-A. 

By Julie Littman • Sept. 15, 2021

Uber Eats, Postmates deploy tiered pricing structures

The delivery platforms' 15%, 25% and 30% commission plans mirror a DoorDash offering launched in April, and come as some markets enact permanent delivery fee caps.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 13, 2021