How a ‘ghost kitchen’ is changing industry
Hungry folks in Scottsdale have a new dining option. But it’s not a restaurant. At least, not in the traditional sense.
Known as a “ghost kitchen” or “cloud kitchen,” Kitchen United Mix opened on the southwest corner of Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road in December. The sprawling commercial space includes small kitchens, some no larger than the inside of a food truck, where cooks prepare food for takeout or delivery.
The term “ghost kitchen” is used because while some businesses at Kitchen United Mix also operate brick-and-mortar restaurants, others don’t. Customers can only order food from these “ghost restaurants” online and through apps like UberEats, DoorDash and Postmates. It’s a model that’s becoming increasingly common across the country, as the $26.8 billion online-ordering market continues to grow.
Such delivery-only restaurants will include Matt’s Big Burger, a spinoff concept from well-known Phoenix restaurateur Matt Pool of Matt’s Big Breakfast. It’s expected to launch at Kitchen United Mix in early 2020.
“I wasn’t really familiar with the cloud kitchen or ghost kitchen concept when they contacted me,” Pool says. “But I realized what they had going on there is pretty cool. It’s a pretty revolutionary idea.”
What it’s like inside Kitchen United Mix
Walk into Kitchen United Mix and diners will find a bank of tablets where customers can place an order. There’s also a counter where customers will claim their food after it’s prepared, a smattering of tables and a drink station.
But behind the scenes is where the magic happens.
In the back-of-house, a handful of doors open into miniature commercial kitchens. Businesses can lease the spaces, which come fully equipped with items including refrigerators, deep fryers and stove tops.
When an order is ready to go, it’s placed on a conveyor belt that runs through the back-of-house before depositing the food onto a dumbwaiter in the front-of-house.
Kitchen United CEO Jim Collins says the takeout and delivery market is a booming growth area for restaurants. The Google Ventures-backed company has kitchens in South Pasadena, California, and Chicago, with additional locations planned including a soon-toopen kitchen in Austin.
“There’s a lot of people in the restaurant industry that are gloom and doom because of delivery,” Collins says. “And the data point they point to is that there are a lot of restaurants closing, but I always say there are always a lot of restaurants closings.”
“Almost all growth is coming from delivery,” he adds. “It’s a big industry.”
Get delivery
The current restaurant roster at Kitchen United Mix includes a mix of locally owned restaurants and national chains. Here’s the list:
❚ Shimogamo.
❚ Thai Chili 2 Go.
❚ Island Loco.
❚ Matt’s Big Burger.
❚ Saladworks. Shimogamo, a family-owned Japanese restaurant in Chandler, was the first business to open at Kitchen United Mix.
Mika Otomo, whose parents own the restaurant, says there were several reasons why she wanted to open a “ghost kitchen” location.
Shimogamo’s dining room can only seat about 44 diners, she says, and the limited space often meant turning away customers. The ghost kitchen location allows them to serve more people without having to invest in a second brickand-mortar restaurant.
“I just thought maybe the cloud kitchen would be a great way to see what kind of demand is out there,” Otomo says. “It’s actually a great opportunity for us to expand our footprint.”
Here’s how to place an order
The Shimogamo menu at Kitchen United Mix includes sushi and sashimi, as well as some items that aren’t on the regular restaurant menu. The new items include ramen and udon carbonara, which is made with udon noodles cooked in Shimogamo’s special bechamel sauce.
Matt Pool’s menu for Matt’s Big Burger will be almost entirely different from what’s offered at his breakfast restaurants around the Valley.
Orders from either restaurant or any of the businesses at Kitchen United Mix can be placed various ways.
Diners can come to the location on Scottsdale Road to place takeout orders in person or order online. This allows families and groups to order off different menus rather than trying to settle on one restaurant for a meal.
Online orders can be submitted either directly through the Kitchen United Mix website or through third-party apps such as UberEats or DoorDash.
To find a Kitchen United Mix business on a third-party app, users should search for the business by name. Though it won’t say the food will be prepared at Kitchen United Mix, the business’ location will be listed as Kitchen United Mix’s.
Since restaurants are allowed to set their own hours, the specific list of options available will vary by day of the week and time of the day.
Details: Kitchen United Mix, 7127 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. 480-704-559, kitchenunited.com. credit card company.
Anyone who believes they’ve been a victim of consumer fraud can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office, she added. The Republic also partners with the national nonprofit Call For Action to solve problems for Arizona consumers, saving readers thousands of dollars every year.
Looking back, Galaviz can say there were details that should have aroused his suspicions. The few times he went to the bar, there were new staff people every time, he remembers.
“It was the Fyre Festival of bars,” Galaviz says.