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The legal hurdles common to restaurant business owners are magnified when viewed through the lens of operating a ghost kitchen. If the pandemic has affected your business to the point that you are thinking about or even currently operating a ghost kitchen, it’s essential to know the legal aspects of this business model.
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Considerations for Operating a Ghost Kitchen Now Some restaurants were faced with too much indoor dining space, resulting in a need to utilize space differently, often with “pop-up” options. Restaurant businesses found themselves offering new curbside and delivery services and leveraged the marketing value of social media to attract attention and stay viable in an uncertain time. Ghost kitchens were gaining some traction even before COVID-19, but the shelter-in-place and stay-at-home governmental orders forced most traditional restaurants to really consider the ghost kitchen as a business model. The name “ghost kitchen” is alternatively called a delivery-only restaurant, online-only restaurant, delivery kitchen, virtual kitchen, shadow kitchen, commissary kitchen, dark kitchen, ghost line, or cloud kitchen.
#GHOST KITCHEN PROFESSIONAL#
Ghost kitchens are professional food preparation and cooking facilities set up for the preparation of takeout or delivery-only meals. The second lockdown, together with the first (occurring in areas throughout the country in the second quarter of 2020), has helped accelerate a new restaurant business model-the ghost kitchen.Īre you considering operating a ghost kitchen? Are you wondering what laws apply to this business model? Let’s examine the most important laws that impact your ghost kitchen business. Many areas across the country are in the midst of a “second lockdown,” as state and local governments are again restricting businesses with indoor dining to help curb COVID-19’s spread. The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way restaurants do business.
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