Explore the benefits of ghost kitchens in San Diego
Learn how a San Diego ghost kitchen can supercharge your growth and earning potential
Why open ghost kitchens in San Diego?
$28
Average basket size
The average basket size at our San Diego ghost kitchens locations is $28, meaning more online revenue for your restaurant business.
6.4K
Deliveries per week
Tap into more online delivery demand at our San Diego dark kitchen locations with an average of 6,348 deliveries per week.
37mins.
Average delivery time
Our San Diego ghost kitchens are built for efficiency, with the logistics and delivery support you need to deliver more orders faster.
5
Delivery platforms available
Maximize your reach online with 5 delivery platforms to choose from.
Ghost kitchens versus traditional restaurants
Brick & mortar
Ghost Kitchens
Real estate
Brick & mortar
2000ft2
High cost, high traffic address
Ghost Kitchens
200ft2
Same area, low cost low traffic address
Staff required (~)
Brick & mortar
24
Many dedicated to front-of-house
Ghost Kitchens
4
We provide staff to handle all order handoffs and more
Weeks to launch 1 location
Brick & mortar
52w
10 locations 5-10 years
Ghost Kitchens
6w
Multiple locations 1 year
Upfront investment
Brick & mortar
$1M
High investment
Ghost Kitchens
$30k*
Low investment
Break even
Brick & mortar
5y
10% profit on 1M run rate
Ghost Kitchens
6m
10% profit on 1M run rate
* Varies based on local permitting and operational complexity
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
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.
2 ghost kitchen locations
Our San Diego facilities are located in the heart of delivery demand, providing you with exclusive access to more online customers.
46 total ghost kitchens
Our San Diego facilities are equipped with a variety of kitchen layouts to best fit your restaurant needs.
180 to 260 sq ft cooking spaces
Choose from a variety of kitchen spaces or open up multiple kitchens to test out new concepts.
Delivery and pickup in high traffic areas
With prime locations near high concentrations of student delivery demand in San Diego, you're able to easily drive more pickup and delivery business to your restaurant.
Operating a traditional restaurant is hard enough. But opening one? That requires plenty of time, serious capital, and lots of uncertainty. Luckily, CloudKitchens can help with opening and operating a food delivery restaurant - quicker, cheaper, and easier. Our ghost kitchens in San Diego will easily translate your cooking services to the modern food delivery service scene.
Restaurant owners know that kicking off a business is the hardest step. That’s why we've created a simple, proven model for launching your new location—we provide the kitchen, you bring your cuisine. With minimal startup costs and no new infrastructure needed, our team can take your San Diego ghost kitchen concept from on-deck to open in weeks.
To maximize your customer reach, we picked convenient ghost kitchen locations in high-volume, high-delivery areas. Unlike brick-and-mortar restaurants in areas with plenty of foot traffic, your ghost kitchen will be surrounded by San Diego residents who want food to come to them.
And forget about the overhead costs weighing down your business. CloudKitchens takes care of cleaning, security, delivery service, and more—you’re reducing staff and boosting profits. And instead of worrying about late-night mop jobs, you get to focus on your craft. When looking for a ghost kitchen, San Diego cooks will love our affordable prices.
Our proprietary technology streamlines all orders into one easy app on a single tablet—software and hardware included. To mitigate errors, our on-site ghost restaurant team checks that all deliveries land on the right dinner tables across San Diego.
Leave behind the crowded floors and wasted money with in-person dining. A more efficient, affordable, and time-saving business awaits you with CloudKitchens. With our ghost kitchens, your cooking can reach the most people for the lowest cost—now that’s a perfect dish.
We offer a variety of locations in the sunny state of California with ghost kitchens in Sacramento, LA, and a variety in the Bay Area.
San Diego ghost kitchens
North County Food Hub
Barrio Food Hub
Aztec Food Hub
View nearby locations
Questions? We’re here to help
What is a ghost kitchen?
Ghost kitchens, also known as dark kitchens or virtual kitchens, are commissary 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.
What are the requirements to set up a ghost kitchen in San Diego?
Thanks to the innovative CloudKitchens model, it doesn’t take much to open up a ghost restaurant or commissary kitchen brand San Diego will love. To get started, you’ll need a minimum of $30k to cover costs associated with opening, as well as four core members to manage your virtual kitchen operations.
Will CloudKitchens provide drivers, or will I need to hire them myself?
While CloudKitchens facilitates order fulfillment, we do not employ delivery drivers. That said, you won’t need to hire your own—we’ll connect you to individual food delivery platforms with drivers who can deliver your menu items food directly to your customers.
Start cooking with us today
