As restaurants turn down flame, cloud kitchens flare

Many in the food business are exploring the delivery-only model, doing away completely with dine-in

As many restaurants suspend their operations in Bengaluru, cloud kitchens are stepping in with home delivery.

A cloud kitchen works with delivery apps. It does not serve any food on its premises.

The model is considered cost-efficient as it only calls for kitchen space and minimal staff. Kuncheria Maratt, co-founder of URU Brewpark in JP Nagar, used its acre and a half to launch four cloud kitchens in mid-July.

“We launched four brands: Great Walk (pan-Asian), Handmade (Italian), Roohi (Indian) and Let’s Get Started (appetisers),” he says.

The pandemic has changed perspectives and diners may forego the restaurant experience if they get tasty food home-delivered, he believes.

Windsor Food Factory, a cloud kitchen of Windsor Pub, is also active now. Rohan Beliappa, director, says the focus is completely on food as there is no dining service to worry about.

“We are right now located in Wilson Garden and are delivering through the apps. All of Windsor Pub’s favourites are there and you can buy marinated meats if you’re planning a barbecue party,” he says.

Anirudh Kheny, partner of That Curry Place, a new venture by 1Q1 Restaurant on Queens Road, says cloud kitchens could be the future of the food and beverage industry.

“Even post-pandemic, it’s going to take a while for people to be completely okay with dining out. By then, this could become a preferred mode of enjoying food. In my opinion, delivery will coexist with brick and mortar restaurants,” he says.

Biryani 2 Home, with cloud kitchens in JP Nagar and HSR Layout, didn’t close during the lockdown. Owner Karthikeyan Selvaraj says, “We have only five or six employees in two kitchens and our module is sustainable, completely digital, and easy to manage. Cloud kitchens are the way forward in this era of social distancing.”

The brand launched its HSR Layout branch in April and plans a third kitchen soon. “There’s no need for a cashier since payment is digital now. Space to run your kitchen is also small and people don’t crowd in,” Karthikeyan explains.

He feels cloud kitchens are safer than dine-ins as contact is minimal.

What are cloud kitchens?

Cloud kitchens are purpose-built to prepare food specifically for delivery. They are also known as ghost kitchens, shared kitchens or virtual kitchens. Some delivery apps, such as Zomato and Swiggy, run their own cloud kitchens, offering slots to restaurants to cook. Independent cloud kitchens rarely have their own delivery staff.

Advantages

Minimal space and staff.

Zero contact with customers.

No crowding, hence low risk.

Who delivers?

Zomato, Swiggy, Dunzo and other app-based aggregators.