Cloud kitchens are doing better than ever before

Metrolife brings you details about a concept that caught on during the pandemic

Unlike dine-in restaurants and pubs, the pandemic has worked in favour of cloud kitchens. The industry is growing rapidly that even homemakers want to turn entrepreneurs by selling their food from home.

Cloud Kitchen or an Internet Kitchen is where your orders are received online and delivered at your doorstep. It’s a physical kitchen which makes deliver-only meals.

The Indian cloud kitchen market size is expected to reach 1.3 billion dollars in the next three years, says Neha Prasad, founder of @cloud9_kitchens_bangalore. "It is gaining traction because the concept allows restaurant owners room for creativity and improvisations. The customers also get to experience food from different outlets, and at any time," she explains Metrolife.

Neha is serving over 600 orders each day and her customer base includes working professional, college students, millennials and families.

The food ordering market and the cloud kitchen model is only growing day by day and the growth has shot up since the pandemic hit, says Ranjitha Shivananda, founder of @popsyindiannaatikitchen_. "The tectonic shift in technology has enabled the rapid growth of this sector, so much so that even established brands are willing to invest in cloud kitchens," she adds.

She has also observed that customers these days are more inclined to order in than dine out. "We sell out in less than 30 minutes after putting out our menu, and I'm proud to say that 60% of our customers come back," she adds.

Many believe that it is competitive pricing that keeps it going strong.

Dhiren Khaturia, co-founder of @cloudkitchenproject, says cloud kitchens made a brisk business during the lockdown as fewer restaurants were open for service. "I think the cloud concept has been around for much longer but only came into limelight in the last two years after the pandemic hit. It became a means for so many startups and existing restaurants to be able to cater to their guests and keep their businesses afloat", Dhiren notes.

"Cloud kitchen lack the ability to attract customers via walk-in traffic or drive-by traffic. Customers can only find us online and it limits to the area we are located," says Raksha Raju, founder of @garlicandcloves.

"Nonetheless, on average, I get around 60 to 70 orders on a daily basis and considerably more on weekends," she adds.

The cloud kitchen concept has allowed the homemakers to shine, says Sandhya Shivmurthy, founder of @flavours_of_malnad. "All the home cooks who were popular within the family for their cooking skills now have the opportunity to turn their passion into a profession," she tells Metrolife.

"If you do not want to avail of the services of Zomato, Swiggy or other giants, you can use the power of social media to spread the word. You can even send your food to a couple of influencers to gain more visibility," she explains. "I cook as and when I get orders so that I don't end up wasting food, she says.