How do you open a Dark Kitchen and how much does it cost?

Opening a Dark Kitchen requires asking yourself the right questions before you start! The arrival of this concept in France was favored by the emergence of new consumption patterns. In particular, there is the development of Street Food and the culture of instantaneity. In addition, the increase in online orders and click & collect is confirmed every year. According to a study by the NPD Group, delivery actually boomed between 2019 and 2021, with an 85% increase.

We spoke with the RusHour team - a specialized aggregator for Dark Kitchens - about the main challenges faced by restaurant owners to open a Dark Kitchen.

What is, in your opinion, the place of Dark Kitchens in the world of catering?

Dark kitchens have a very important place in the world of catering, in the same way as so-called “traditional” catering. It is a different model that has grown considerably, especially since the health crisis.

What are the steps to follow to open a Dark Kitchen?

Here are the 4 main steps identified by Rushour to open a Dark Kitchen:

1- Choose the Dark Kitchen model you want

There are several and that is why it is important to define your project well:

• The Dark Kitchens Traditional : they have a kitchen with only one category of gastronomy and they do not have a room.
• The Dark Kitchens multi-brands : they have a single kitchen and a single room shared with several brands that offer several types of gastronomy.
• The Dark Kitchens hybrids : they offer take-away meals that the public must come and pick up and they open the kitchens to the public to watch the cooks at work.

2- Know the existing market

In order to propose a quality concept, it is essential to carry out significant monitoring work. Knowing the market, the competitors and what is already being done is the key to building a viable project that will differentiate itself from existing Dark Kitchens.

3- Choose your delivery method

The major focus of ghost kitchens is of course delivery. It is up to you to define the most suitable delivery service according to your project and the products you will offer. Delivery platforms will be more or less interesting for you. Depending on whether you offer dishes that follow a particular diet and according to the area you want to deliver.

4- Choosing the right marketing and data analysis tools

The visibility and reputation of your Dark Kitchen are based almost exclusively on digital evaluations. It is therefore important to have the right tools. Your social networks and your presence on delivery platforms should be a priority. Make a nice menu, beautiful photos of your dishes and a coherent Instagram feed that catches the eye of consumers.

What are the best practices to adopt and the missteps to avoid when opening a Dark Kitchen?

1- Communication and marketing

Before opening a Dark Kitchen, it is absolutely essential to plan concrete marketing and communication actions. By this you will understand, do not neglect the digital channels that will be your best allies. Why? Because you don't have a restaurant front to promote your cuisine and advertise. Only social networks and delivery platforms will act as a window. If these are well done, it is a sure success!

2- Surround yourself with the right tools for a quality service

To cook you need a kitchen, that's obvious. Well, to deliver, it's the same, you have to have the right tools. This is the reason why RusHour supports thousands of restaurant owners in France and Europe. The principle is simple: a single tablet and a single printer to centralize all your orders. In this way, you save time, speed and efficiency. You can also facilitate the work of your employees but also of your delivery people by adopting the Delivery Screen. It will allow your delivery people to monitor the status of their order in real time. In this way, everyone's work will be optimized.

Do you know an example of a successful Dark Kitchen? Explain to us why?

Today, there are a lot of efficient Dark Kitchens. We could mention Foudie, StreetLab or Not So Dark. They have been able to ride the wave of ghost kitchens by offering brands that are both different and complementary. The main thing is to offer worlds with a strong identity.

How much does it cost to open a dark kitchen?

It all depends on the project you want to build. In our opinion, here are all the fees that should be taken into account:

• Administrative and legal costs,
• The costs related to the equipment of your Dark Kitchen,
• Staff costs,
• The costs associated with marketing and communication (all too often overlooked).

What are the advantages for restaurant owners of working with a delivery order management tool like Rushour?

RusHour gives you the keys to enable your Dark Kitchen to succeed in managing delivery and take-out orders. All thanks to these numerous tools:

Remove your tablets

The RusHour tablet auto-accepts and auto-prints all your orders by grouping your deliverers. It increases your profitability by reducing errors and adding more platforms and brands.

Leverage your valuable data

Leave nothing to chance by analyzing all your data online and in real time.

Edit your menus in one click

Import or create menus of your choice from RusHour. Also edit your products, categories and options. Publish your changes in one click. Plus, manage your menus from one place.

Reduce the pressure from your employees

The Delivery Screen allows you to view orders that are being prepared. This therefore makes it possible to notify your deliverers when they are ready. In this way, you will improve the handling of orders and reduce waiting time.

Enjoy 24/7 support

Thanks to their team of experts, you will be able to optimize your menus on the platforms. You will also be able to create adapted virtual brands and adopt effective promotional strategies.

How do Rushour and Tabesto contribute to offering sustainable solutions for restaurant owners?

RusHour x Tabesto is the combo you need!

Centralize and manage all your orders from Tabesto kiosks.

Thanks to the integration of our two solutions, your restaurant will gain in performance for several reasons:

• If your flow on site is significant, seeing it appear on RusHour allows better management of your order distribution.
• An order on a kiosk with a customer present on site must be processed differently than an order on a delivery kiosk. Seeing the Tabesto application on the RusHour tool allows you to have a global vision on a single tool.
• You can also manage your statistics. Indeed, your turnover and the volume of orders on kiosks appear in the RusHour tool.

Opening a dark kitchen with these two solutions will save you time, money and space.

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