Delivery Services Work to Help Virtual Restaurants
Photo Caption: The Star in San Jose works out of a commissary kitchen, created by DoorDash.
Skift Take
Virtual restaurants will take off thanks to data and logistics help from delivery services. But this popularity will usher in a new battleground: exclusivity on any given channel in exchange for help.
The popularity of online food ordering and delivery services have changed what makes a restaurant — at least, it's changed what makes a restaurant when it comes to delivery. Delivery services have contributed to the rise of virtual restaurants (also called ghost restaurants) — restaurants without a storefront or a dining room. Since online delivery marketplaces like Grubhub and DoorDash provide marketing for restaurants, they don't need a storefront to attract takeout orders.
"The rising numbers of virtual restaurants and commissary kitchens presents a unique opportunity for restaurateurs to innovate, cut costs, and potentially attract new customers," Anna Tauzin Rice, vice president of marketing an
