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If we lived in the days of Jesus, we would recline to break bread together. In Japan we would kneel for a meal. In Western countries, most of us pull a chair up to the table when the dinner bell rings. But if you plan to dine out these days, you might find fewer places to do anyof those things.
Facing a deluge of food orders from outfits like Uber Eats and GrubHub, some restaurant chains are launching locations without dining rooms.
The newest Chopt Creative Salad Company location in New York is unlike any of its other 61 sites. It is a so-called “ghost kitchen.” Cash registers, tables, and chairs are nowhere to be seen.
At the new Chopt location in New York, shelves hold orders ready for pickup. Delivery workers shuttle other meals through the front door. And greeters inside help customers place orders.
In the kitchen, a central prep table is stocked with ingredients and flanked by a row of employees on each side, assembling orders.
Today, pickup and delivery make up nearly half of Chopt’s business.
And Chopt is not alone. Digital orders are a major growth area. And many restaurants are opening kitchens that simply crank out meals without a place to dine.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has such sites in Nashville and Louisville. There, customers order and pay online, then get food by delivery or pickup.
Chick-fil-A is also trying something different: three pilot “delivery kitchens” opened this year. At the three sites (Chicago, Los Angeles, and near San Francisco), the chicken chain shares kitchen facilities alongside other restaurants and prepares only meals for delivery.
Wendy’s Co announced that it plans to open two “ghost kitchens” by year’s end.
“We are sensing a really huge customer need for speed, for convenience.”
Well, that’s the news for today. Hate to eat and run, but . . . well, we don’t have a choice. There’s nowhere to sit down in this place!
(Employees prepare food for delivery or take out at Chopt in New York City. Reuters)
