Reinvent your restaurant with a Houston ghost kitchen

CloudKitchens makes it easy to stay competitive in the food delivery industry within a Houston ghost kitchen.

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Why open ghost kitchens in Houston?

$26
Average basket size

The average basket size at our Houston ghost kitchens locations is $26, meaning more online revenue for your restaurant business.

6.3K
Deliveries per week

Tap into more online delivery demand at our Houston dark kitchen locations with an average of 6,348 deliveries per week.

14%
Pickup percentage

Leverage both pickup and delivery orders at our Houston locations to maximize your daily order volumes.

40mins.
Average delivery time

Our Houston ghost kitchens are built for efficiency, with the logistics and delivery support you need to deliver more orders faster.

7
Delivery platforms available

Maximize your reach online with 7 delivery platforms to choose from.

Ghost kitchens versus traditional restaurants

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

Kitchen specs

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


Are ghost kitchens worth the investment?

The rise of ghost kitchens

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.

Unlock the inside scoop on the rise of ghost kitchens.

Ghost kitchen facility

2 ghost kitchen locations

Our Houston facilities are located in the heart of delivery demand, providing you with exclusive access to more online customers.

Ghost kitchen

86 total ghost kitchens

Our Houston facilities are equipped with a variety of kitchen layouts to best fit your restaurant needs.

Ghost kitchen cooking space

200 to 400 sq ft cooking spaces

Choose from a variety of kitchen spaces that best suit your needs, or open up multiple kitchens to test out new concepts.

Delivery

Delivery and pickup in high traffic areas

With prime locations near high concentrations of student delivery demand in Houston, you're able to easily drive more pickup and delivery business to your restaurant.


The Houston food scene

Tacos - ghost kitchen

Opening a local restaurant in Texas’ largest city with over 6M residents, can be difficult—but not with CloudKitchens. Rather than struggling to put up the costs of a traditional restaurant, a restaurateur can get started right away with a Houston ghost kitchen concept.

Opening your Houston ghost restaurant only takes a number of weeks when you partner with CloudKitchens. Rather than scouting out the Houston real estate market, CloudKitchens provides a plug and play solution so you can hit the ground running.

Food delivery service has never been more popular. To help you keep up with the fast-paced restaurant industry, CloudKitchens sets you up in the city’s most popular delivery app areas. These high-traffic locations offer maximum convenience to boost your sales and keep customers coming back for more. 

Opening a traditional restaurant can be risky when you factor in the upfront costs. With a ghost kitchen in Houston, you can dial back expenses and focus on making sales. Just about everything you need to kickstart your restaurant business is already included.

All the technology you need to break into the delivery service game is included, too. CloudKitchens provides built-in tablets with the latest delivery app to fully integrate your restaurant and keep up with demands.

FAQ

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 Houston?

When setting up your Houston ghost kitchen, you’ll need a cooking space that meets health and safety needs and a small support staff that can handle tasks such as cooking, food delivery logistics, maintenance, and more. Similar to a Houston commissary kitchen, your ghost kitchen also requires top-tier cooking equipment, from industry-standard sinks and hoods to professional-level appliances.

In a sprawling city like Houston, it’s also important to consider location. Placing your virtual kitchen—or multiple—in a culinary hub with easy food delivery capabilities is essential in minimizing costs and increasing profitability. 

Too much to handle? Let CloudKitchens Houston take the stress off your plate. CloudKitchens manages your Houston ghost restaurant space so you can focus on the food.


How much does it cost to start a ghost kitchen in Houston?

You can start a ghost kitchen or commissary kitchen restaurant space in Houston with an upfront investment of as little as $30k—much less than the $1 million required for brick-and-mortar establishments.


Start cooking with us today

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