Covid-19 has had a significant impact on ghost kitchens in Dubai. Since restaurants are primarily operating as takeout and delivery only, virtual kitchens such as Sweetheart Kitchen located in Dubai have seen an increased number of orders since the pandemic.

Virtual kitchens, also known as cloud or ghost kitchens are restaurants without a physical dining area or location. This means they could be practically anywhere in your city and you may not even know that your food has been prepared in a commercial full functioning kitchen right next to you.

These kitchens have gained popularity quite quickly. With the growing industry of home food delivery across the world, there is a need from customers for a larger variety of menu choices when it comes to their food. Cloud kitchens rely on third party delivery service apps such as:

• DoorDash
• UberEats
• Postmates
• GrubHub

Ghost kitchens in Dubai are a new type of business that has a larger profit range than traditional restaurants. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, dining in at a restaurant has become minimal, leaving restaurants struggling. Dubai has seen a substantial increase in home food delivery since this pandemic and the transition into a virtual kitchen in the city of Dubai.

Have you wondered what the impact of Covid-19 has had on these virtual kitchens? We are here to keep you updated with the latest information. From switching to no-contact delivery to increasing sanitation ghost kitchens have made a few new changes in recent months.

Why Have Cloud Kitchens Gained in Popularity?

One of the top reasons that cloud kitchens have risen so much in popularity over the years and since Covid is due to:

• According to the National Restaurant Associations 2020 consumer trends, 52% of consumers say purchasing takeout or food delivery is essential to their living habits.
• According to a survey from Statista, 44% of consumers order food delivery at least once a month.

One of the other reasons that cloud kitchens are so popular is the convenience that they offer. The restaurant industry faced a lot of challenges when Covid-19 hit. The impact of this on virtual kitchens has increased the number of people that are ordering food online to their homes.

Online ordering is quick, convenient, and safe. With contactless delivery, you are able to still enjoy your favorite foods without leaving the comfort and safety of your own home. Ghost kitchens will continue to rise in popularity even after Covid experts predict.

What are the Benefits of a Virtual Kitchen During a Pandemic?

The benefits of virtual kitchens amongst this pandemic are huge. Virtual kitchens are so unique and similar to kitchens, often with larger profit margins due to these reasons.

Lower overhead costs

While most restaurants have physical customers in the restaurant this requires staff, decorations, chairs, tables, and extra space. One of the biggest challenges throughout this pandemic is being able to afford to pay your staff, rent, and having a demand.

Cloud kitchens don’t rely heavily on having staff or a beautiful area for customers to sit and enjoy their meal. Since virtual kitchens can be virtually anywhere there is not a need to rely on heavy foot traffic in that area. Generally these areas of town, rent is a lot higher.

Reduced rent

In a time like Covid-19 saving money in any way you can as a business owner is crucial to survival. In a city such as Dubai where ghost kitchens are prominent and rent can be expensive up to $120 per square foot and $160 per square foot to decorate. Ghost kitchens save entrepreneurs and business owners lots of money.

With social distancing guidelines, the CDC recommends that people stay at least 6ft apart from each other. With restaurants, this requires a large area to accommodate customers. However, ghost kitchens do not have to worry about this since there will not be any customers dining in.

Increased efficiency

Cloud kitchens are much more efficient compared to traditional kitchens. This is due to a number of reasons such as there is not a wait for customers to be seated to enjoy their meal. Hours and wait times are far less with a cloud kitchen compared to a traditional restaurant. With cloud kitchens, the number one priority is to prepare and deliver high-quality food to the customer.

Physical Restaurants Compared to Cloud Kitchens

The National Restaurant Association estimated that the restaurant industry is likely to lose $225 billion in the upcoming three months. They will even be losing 5-7 million employees. Many restaurants have been forced to permanently close their doors due to the impact of the pandemic.

So how are virtual kitchens able to stay afloat? Since the increase in online food delivery has seen such a dramatic spike over these past few months customers tend to stay loyal to their favorite restaurants. With the convenient and fast abilities of online ordering and food delivery virtual kitchens will continue to grow and prosper over time.

Virtual Kitchens Have Become the New Norm of Dining In

Online delivery services such as DoorDash, Postmates, and UberEats have been thriving throughout the pandemic. There is not a shortage of people looking for convenient, delicious take out. Virtual kitchens, such as Sweetheart Kitchen located in Dubai have been serving their customers with delicious food since before the pandemic is continuing extraordinary service.

The effect of this pandemic on cloud kitchens has limited consumers to dining in at restaurants to lower their chances of contracting Covid-19. Restaurants are forced to limit their capacity and social distancing requirements have been put in place to make sure this happens.

Overall, ghost kitchens in Dubai have had an impact since the pandemic. Compared to other kitchens in the area ghost kitchens are doing well. Cloud kitchens are not anything new to the marketplace, but they are growing extremely fast. Virtual kitchens just as virtual birthday parties, and meetings are the new norm of society. Even before Covid-19 food delivery was a convenience, now it is a necessity.