A ghost kitchen. No – it’s not a reference to a spot where people cook inside a so-called haunted restaurant. And it’s definitely not something that does not actually exist. Ghost kitchens are very real, and more restaurants have been jumping on board for a variety of reasons.

Let’s first shed some light on what this concept means. By definition, a ghost kitchen is “a professional food preparation and cooking facility set up for the preparation of delivery-only meals”.

With the consequences of COVID-19 completely revolutionizing the way people order and interact with restaurant businesses, many of these businesses, big and small, have adapted a new way of getting food to consumers.  Over the past six months, 63.8% of Canadians ordered food online, according to recent AAL research. Research also demonstrated that working with a third-party delivery business raises sales on average of 20%. So – how are we hoping on this trend? Capitalizing on a ghost kitchen is a great place to start. While the impacts of the pandemic have left companies in a pinch, this 21^st century concept allows restaurants to expand their services through delivery and optimize their operations as a minimal cost.

There are two main reasons for the launch a ghost kitchen. First being the purpose of launching a brand-new business, second to bring products from an existing brand to customers through delivery. In the case of The Chopped Leaf, the Burrito Co. was born as a means to continue dominating the fresh, wholesome food category but present customers with an entirely new product. The Burrito Co. has given the Chopped Leaf brand the opportunity to offer multiple styles of cuisine from a single location, using the fresh and delicious ingredients, dressings and sauces restaurants have on hand.

“We have a fresh, on-the-go restaurant offering a variety of salads, bowls and wraps. But we now have a burrito concept,” Blair Stevens, Brand President of The Chopped Leaf says. “From a customer’s perspective, realizing both brands utilize the same products and ingredients is not obvious, but this is exactly what we are doing and this is why using these products in an additional way is so great. The brands are not competing with one another; our goal is to have each brand dominate the market of food we are offering.”

While the consequences of this pandemic have been devastating, businesses have had to quickly adapt and search for additional streams of income. When multiple brains and people with drive work together to ensure a brand maintains its success, incredible things can happen.