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Kroger Dark Kitchens for Meal Delivery
US grocery chain Kroger has staked its claim in the meal-delivery market by opening a series of ‘dark kitchens’ or delivery-only restaurants (otherwise known as ghost or cloud kitchens). These promise to supply restaurant-standard dishes straight to the doorsteps of consumers, with no extra delivery charge or service fees.
Kroger Dark Kitchens for Meal Delivery
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Customers can buy meals such as pad thai, pizza and burritos (including vegetarian and vegan options), through the Kroger Delivery Kitchen app, and will receive their made-to-order meal within 30 minutes.
The kitchens, located in Indianapolis, Columbus and Denver, have been created in collaboration with Denver-based meal-delivery platform ClusterTruck that already runs delivery kitchens across the US.
This strategic move into the meal-delivery space by Kroger is a great example of how grocery chains are flexing to meet the growing demand from consumers for convenience and affordability in the take-out space. Read Supermarket of the Future: Hero Products & Super Service and Sainsbury’s Partners with Deliveroo for Pizza Delivery for more thoughts on this consumer shift.
Dark kitchens have become a popular option for delivery brands looking to avoid the high overhead costs of running a brick-and-mortar restaurant. In 2019, brands such as Starbucks and Chick-fil-A invested in delivery-only kitchens, as well as delivery services such US brands GrubHub and UberEats, and Deliveroo in the UK.
For more on developments in fast-food delivery, read Game-Changing Fast-Food Concepts, Dominos x Chevrolet: In-Car Pizza Delivery and Pizza Hut’s New Cubby Pick-Up Concept.