Despite what the name implies, ghost kitchens — or delivery-only food services — aren’t disappearing anytime soon.
Like an apparition, they're popping up across the nation and giving customers a chance to explore popular food brands, but without physical brick or mortar shops. That means food could be cheaper to produce and has weathered the coronavirus pandemic with its delivery-only model.
And because these services don't have physical spaces to operate out of, they're sharing spaces with existing restaurant kitchens.
Locally, most of these ghost kitchens are located inside Bertucci Italian Restaurant locations, notably in Brockton and Plymouth.
That’s because Robert Earl, former CEO of the Hard Rock Café and Bertucci's founder, also cofounded Virtual Dining Concepts, which he runs with his son Robbie. That company partners with brands, and some celebrities like Mariah Carey and Mario Lopez, to help them make and deliver their own products — from inside one of their existing Bertucci restaurants.