Business
Amuse Bouche: Will every kitchen become a ghost kitchen?
Published
3 years agoon
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AdminBy Scott Mechura EBS Food Columnist
Just what is a ghost kitchen anyway?
This term refers to a commercial kitchen that is used for delivery food only and isn’t connected to a brick and mortar brand. A ghost kitchen can often be used for more than one concept or by more than one brand.
Not to be confused with a commissary kitchen, in which food is prepped in a (typically) centralized location for distribution and sale in a brand’s commercial locations.
And though ghost kitchens have existed in some form or another for decades, they are more prevalent now than ever.
Founded in 2012, Blue Apron has seen incredible success with the pre-prepped, cook at home meal delivery concept. Since their inception in 2012, the number of meals they’ve delivered is in the neighborhood of 20 million. A similar meal prep company based out of Berlin Germany, Hello Fresh delivers meals to several countries in North America and Europe.
They make sense. After all, how often you either hear someone say, or think to yourself “who has time to shop and cook anymore?”
They inherently eliminate one key aspect of the commercial restaurant, which is the social interaction factor. And unfortunately, they now have more competition than they probably ever imagined.
I say unfortunately not because these two companies literally have more competition, but rather because their new competition comes to them by way of thousands of restaurants across America duplicating this concept in order to stay alive, or they have been financially reduced to only being able to provide their product to the consumer this way.
But a question my colleges and I have asked, is are these ghost kitchens our future?
It is being reported that over 60 percent of restaurants in Los Angeles will not reopen after being forced to close in 2020. To me, statistics like this often need vetting, but I don’t believe it could be that far off, given what I know about our industry and California’s restrictions.
Closer to home, not everyone in the Gallatin Valley survived 2020, including one of my personal favorite restaurants in town, Saffron Table. My friend Roth, managing partner of Montana Ale Works, tell me he has had many sleepless nights, wondering if they could keep their lights on going forward—an unthinkable question for what has been a Bozeman institution since 1999 and unofficially, Montana’s highest-grossing restaurant.
From Bozeman to Los Angeles, all across the country, thousands of restaurants have been forced to move to this concept or close up shop altogether. Few things make me sadder in an industry I have bled, sweated and cried with for decades.
How many chefs figuratively weep when they put their culinary creations meant for beautiful plates and serving vessels, dishes that are temperature and time sensitive, into Styrofoam, cardboard or plastic? Only to have the recipient eat said dish sometimes up to an hour later and judge this chef and restaurants product as only being “fine” when it was never meant for this application in the first place.
And all the while, these hardworking businesses are simply trying to keep their doors open.
Though not entirely accurate, the term ghost kitchen also goes by many other names, such as virtual kitchen, delivery-only restaurants, commissary kitchens, dark kitchens and shadow kitchens. And unfortunately, I fear shadow kitchen may turn out to be the most accurate name, given that many restaurants across America have already become shadows of their former selves.
Scott Mechura has spent a life in the hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and currently the multi-concept culinary director for a Bozeman based restaurant group.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
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