Food

Is a restaurant still a restaurant without tables, servers or diners?

It definitely is now. More than half of U.S. operators have turned to ghost kitchens for some or all of their delivery orders, research by Technomic and the National Restaurant Association reveals. Before the pandemic, just 15% used a ghost kitchen — that is, a commercial kitchen that only makes food for delivery and/or takeout.

A ghost kitchen (or dark kitchen, or virtual kitchen) can boost a burgeoning delivery business, increase profit margins, cut staffing costs and help see restaurants through a slump in in-person dining. But the prospect of paying a lot for a brand-new facility may give restaurateurs pause.

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to start from scratch! Here are five ways to use the ghost-kitchen model that require minimal investment up front.

Today we are highlighting the work of Jason White, Executive Chef at Food For Thought, and his team. Food for Thought (@fftchicago) is a catering company based in Lincolnwood, Illinois. 

Today we are highlighting the work of Eric Vogel, owner of local Walnut Grill locations in St. Louis, as our foodservice hero.

The Walnut Grill has opened a new location, and will be donating 100 box lunches to front-line workers at hospitals near its restaurant locations.

As restaurateurs worldwide are discovering, sous-vide preparation can restore sanity to their kitchens in stressful times.

Sous vide techniques, along with other methods, “offer consistent levels of performance while simplifying cooking processes, allowing for smaller kitchens, and requiring less staff,” writes Jean-Michel Dixte, global vice president for food & beverage for Dusit International. 

Not only that, but vacuum-sealing and sous vide prep can help manage rising food costs and unpredictable swings in demand, operators have found. The only hurdle is investing in the equipment — and that’s where Hamilton Beach Commercial can help. The AcuVide™1000 immersion circulator is, quite simply, a commercial immersion circulator that offers chefs a full suite of high value features for a lower investment than the competitors .

Today, we are sending a shout out to business owner and foodservice hero Earl Handy.

Earl Handy is the 3rd generation owner of Handy's Lunch (@handyslunch) which has been a landmark in the Burlington, Vermont community for over 75 years.

We are honored to present our next foodservice hero from Atlanta, Georgia. Lesley Samad, along with her husband Jamal, own Samad Mediterranean Grill and Market in Sandy Springs, a city nestled inside Atlanta.

Tough times demand unfailing courage and hard work — as restaurant operators know all too well. Some days, it feels impossible to succeed when you’re facing rising expenses, unpredictable business patterns, and stressed-out staff.

But guess what? You can alleviate all of these challenges. All you need is a clever strategy for making the most of what you have. Hamilton Beach Commercial’s vacuum-sealing and immersion circulator solutions can help.

Today, we're sharing the story of Cody Anderson, a foodservice hero from Draper, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City.  Cody is the Food Service Director with Thomas Cuisine (@thomascuisine on Instagram) at eBay in Draper, Utah. He and his team have been preparing fresh meal kits to-go in conjunction with a local group called Citrus Pear (@citrus_pear on Instagram).

Restaurants everywhere were making their operations more sustainable — and then the COVID pandemic struck. Takeout took over, resulting in an avalanche of individually wrapped plastic cutlery, straws and disposable containers. Concerns about single-use plastic and food waste were eclipsed by the fear of germs.

But waste-reduction efforts can’t be abandoned, advocates say; they just need to adapt. Prior to the pandemic, one-third of consumers were actively trying to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics, says Nell Fry, Sodexo’s senior manager of sustainability. The threat of pollution and climate change has only temporarily been eclipsed, she says; “As soon as we have this pandemic under control, there’s going to be this whiplash… ‘What are you doing about plastics? We want this done yesterday.’”

Safety and sustainability don’t have to be at odds. We’ll look at a few ways restaurants and other foodservice operators are maintaining their commitment to green operations while adapting to the realities of business during COVID-19.

Meet Bruno Serato of @caterinas_club, a #foodservicehero from Anaheim, California with a long history of service.