Launch a New York City ghost kitchen in weeks

Supercharge your restaurant’s earning potential when you open a ghost kitchen in NYC.

SCROLL

Why open ghost kitchens in NYC?

$27

Average basket size

The average basket size at our NYC ghost kitchen locations is $27, meaning more online revenue for your restaurant business.

2.3K

Deliveries per week

Tap into more online delivery demand at our NYC dark kitchen locations with an average of 2.3K deliveries per week.

38mins.

Average delivery time

Our NYC ghost kitchens are built for efficiency, with the logistics and delivery support you need to deliver more orders faster.

6

Delivery platforms available

Maximize your reach online with 6 delivery platforms to choose from.

HOW WE COMPARE

Ghost kitchens versus traditional restaurants

200
ft2

Real Estate

Pay only for the space you need, rather than for empty dining rooms and waiting areas.

~
4

Staff required

We provide all your support staff, and there’s no need for front-of-house labor, so you can work with a smaller team.

~
6

Weeks to launch

Our facilities are move-in ready and we can help you navigate the permitting process.

~
30
k

Investment

Avoid the $1 million+ startup cost on your own restaurant to start seeing profits faster.

~
6
months

Breakeven

With a ghost kitchen, you can break even in as little as 6 months with a 10% profit and $1M in annual sales.

* Varies based on local permitting and operational complexity

Kitchen Specs

All you need and more under the hood

We offer kitchens for modern-day chefs and help get you set up with specialized equipment and minimal fuss.

Space

  • Private kitchen
  • Driver pickup area
  • Staff locker area
  • Restrooms
  • Mop wash
  • Cold & freezer storage
  • Dry storage

Services

  • Order pickup & processing*
  • Courier handoff
  • Cleaning & maintenance
  • Safety & health inspections
  • Delivery logistics
  • Extraction & ventilation
  • On-site support staff
  • Delivery software
  • *Level of service dependent on facility


Equipment

  • 3 compartment sink
  • Prep sink
  • Hand sink
  • Commercial hood
  • Tablet
  • Grease-trap/interceptor

Utilities

  • Gas points
  • Power outlets
  • High power lighting
  • Cold & hot water lines
  • Gas/fire safety system
  • WiFi
  • Trash / recycle
  • Ethernet connections
  • Grease/trap cleaning
  • Hood/flue cleaning
  • Pest control


Are ghost kitchens worth the investment?

The rise of ghost kitchens

The golden age of food delivery has arrived. And with that, comes 54M delivery app users and a market estimated to reach a net worth of $1.65T by 2027. Ghost kitchens are providing restaurateurs with a lower-risk alternative to a traditional brick and mortar by cutting labor costs and the overall upfront investment to get started.

With dedicated kitchen space built for delivery, these lower cost, tech-enabled locations set you and your restaurant up for delivery success, making it easy to get up and running in less time.

With over 8,000 ghost kitchen locations in the US alone, chances are there is a ghost kitchen in your neighborhood. At CloudKitchens, we find the best possible ghost kitchen location that captures the most delivery demand, at the lowest cost.

As more hungry customers turn to delivery for their next meal, it is becoming even more vital to have a delivery strategy in place for your restaurant business.

Unlock new trends emerging in food delivery, new AI tech to take advantage of, and how to tap into this booming industry with our latest trend guide.

Unlock the inside scoop on the rise of ghost kitchens.

Ghost kitchen facility

5 ghost kitchen locations

Our NYC facilities are located in the heart of delivery demand, providing you with exclusive access to more online customers.

Ghost kitchen

121 total ghost kitchens

Our NYC facilities are equipped with a variety of kitchen layouts to best fit your restaurant needs.

Ghost kitchen cooking space

~133 to 386 sq ft cooking spaces

Choose from a variety of kitchen spaces for your restaurant business, or open up multiple kitchens to test out new concepts.

Delivery

Delivery and pickup in high traffic areas

With prime locations near high concentrations of delivery demand in NYC, you're able to easily drive more pickup and delivery business to your restaurant.


The NYC food scene

Spaghetti - ghost kitchen

We’re reimagining the restaurant industry so you can redefine success. Find a nearby NYC ghost kitchen space and discover how we’re serving up all of the benefits of a new location without any of the traditional restaurant challenges or risks. When you get into the delivery game, you can explore the benefits of a virtual kitchen for yourself.

The city that never sleeps doesn’t have time to waste. Rather than 52 weeks of high-cost, high-stress work to open a brick-and-mortar location, you can open a New York ghost kitchen facility in weeks not months.

Our NYC ghost kitchens are conveniently located in the city's hottest neighborhoods. These are prime locations where takeout and food delivery service is the focus. Launch your own NYC ghost kitchen to reach hungry neighbors and turn them into loyal customers.

Opening a traditional restaurant is a high-risk endeavor for restaurateurs. Even if you attain capital as a restaurant owner, you might wait five years to break even if you ever get there. CloudKitchens helps cut costs so you can turn a profit out of New York City's food delivery orders in just six months. Without burdensome front-of-house, overhead, maintenance, or cleaning costs, you can maximize your profit potential with a ghost kitchen model.

Our proprietary technology is waiting for you at each of our ghost kitchens in NYC. Innovate your operations with our built-in tech. With the help of our fully synced tablets and all-in-one apps, you can seamlessly integrate your enterprise with delivery app services, online ordering and tracking, and overview reports.

It’s time to join the NYC ghost restaurant revolution. Minimize your costs, pay only for the kitchen space you need, and maximize your profits for your virtual brand or restaurant when you step into the future with CloudKitchens. There’s a New York dark kitchen waiting for you in each of the city’s best neighborhoods.

FAQ

Questions? 
We’re here to help

What are the requirements to set up a ghost kitchen in NYC?

In the dense culinary hub of New York City, your food delivery service needs to reach customers quickly. And operating out of a top-tier NYC ghost kitchen is essential. You’ll need a kitchen space with professional-level cooking equipment, easy driver pickup options, and multiple storage types. Especially in crowded areas, an efficiently well-designed NYC commercial kitchen or ghost kitchen is a must. 

Beyond meeting state and city health and safety guidelines and operational needs, it’s also necessary to consider your surrounding delivery network. A central location allows for fast, affordable food deliveries that cut down on costs and boost profits. When you sign up for our CloudKitchens NYC spaces, we’ll help you set up a virtual kitchen that checks all the boxes—and delivers on all fronts.


How much does it cost to start a ghost kitchen in NYC?

Setting up a ghost kitchen NYC craves doesn’t have to cost millions. With as little as $30k upfront, you can start the ghost kitchen NYC needs through CloudKitchens’ NYC commercial kitchen model. 


What is a ghost kitchen?

Ghost kitchens, also known as dark kitchens or virtual kitchens, are commercial kitchens built for food delivery. They’re located within the delivery radius of a high volume of online customers, rather than high foot traffic areas. With ghost kitchens, there’s no physical storefront or dining area, so you only need a few back-of-house staff members to fulfill online orders.


How does a ghost kitchen work?

In a ghost kitchen, your restaurant is focused on delivery rather than dine-in. When eaters order your food online, you’ll prepare it from your ghost kitchen, and hand it off to a fulfillment team to get the order over to the right delivery driver. This gives restaurateurs a low cost, high efficiency model to get the most out of delivery.


Are ghost kitchens profitable?

Yes, ghost kitchens can be profitable. Ghost kitchens allow restaurateurs to increase profitability by maintaining the essential elements of a restaurant while cutting costs on labor, overhead, and wasted food while reaching a higher volume of customers ordering online. Plus, you can run multiple virtual brands out of a single ghost kitchen to increase revenue without the extra overhead.


Why are ghost kitchens so popular?

Ghost kitchens are rising in popularity because they’re a lower cost alternative to operating a traditional restaurant. They’re also focused on delivery, which has grown 300% faster than dine-in since 2014. That means restaurateurs are using ghost kitchens to future-proof their business and accelerate growth.


How does a ghost kitchen help your restaurant grow?

Ghost kitchens help restaurateurs grow their business by doing delivery right. The way we dine has changed, and ghost kitchens allow restaurant operators to capture food delivery demand without sacrificing their bottom line. They’re also a great way to expand to new markets without spending time and money on a traditional restaurant buildout. You can easily expand your restaurant brand to different cities across the country such as Los Angeles or New York.


How much do ghost kitchens cost?

The cost of ghost kitchens varies by market, space, and services. Compared to a traditional restaurant, they’re a much lower cost alternative on both upfront capital and ongoing operating costs. You can get started in a ghost kitchen with as little as $30K, instead of $1M+ for brick and mortar buildout.


Start cooking with us today

CloudKitchens locations

Explore other US locations