Silvana Saldisuri
08/02/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Services
Updated 08/02/2021 6:00 AM
The gastronomic sector was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, but with the boom in
delivery
due to confinement in 2020, new business opportunities emerged.
The
ghost kitchens
or
kitchens black
took relevance and are becoming increasingly popular.
Virtual restaurants without tables, without diners, or waiters;
completely oriented to online sales.
It was through this modality that the gourmet pizza chain
Almacén de Pizzas
found a way to sustain itself and continue with its
expansion plan
.
Currently, instead of local, it advances with these gastronomic business formats.
Signature
was born in 2006, with a couple of stores for sale to the public in
Belgrano and Barrio Norte
.
Today it has 35 branches and six more that it plans to open in the coming months, including in
Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru
.
Almacén de Pizzas was born in 2006, with a couple of retail stores in Belgrano and Barrio Norte.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
In the country, it plans to open three
dark kitchens
in the province of Buenos Aires, one in the
North
, another in the
South
, and a third in the
West
.
"Originally Almacén de Pizzas was going to be 100% delivery, but as one of the stores had a lounge and it was the one that worked best, we began to develop more in that format," said
Sebastián Ríos
, director of Grupo Gastronómico Re, owner of the brand. Pizza Warehouse,
Clarín
.
"Before
2020
our
delivery represented between 20% and 25% of the sale
, which with the
pandemic
that brought about a certain amount of changes, increased between
45% and 50%
. We were not exempt from these changes so that we ended up making a change in strategy, "explained Ríos.
What are dark kitchens?
Also known as
ghost kitchens or black kitchens
are facilities built to
prepare and dispatch food specifically for delivery
.
They do not have areas to eat or receive diners, nor do they face the street.
They are a kitchen space shared by several brands in which the staff prepares food that
then reaches consumers through applications such as Rappi or OrdersYa
.
Black kitchens are facilities built to prepare and dispatch food for delivery only.
Photo: Lucia Merle.
They are usually in
three different formats
:
coworking
(a space is rented for production or an office for delivery),
separate kitchens from
existing
restaurants
that split operations, and development
of delivery platforms
, which is
the one that has taken on the most relevance in recent years. months
.
Although they were born in the United Kingdom, they quickly expanded to the United States and Latin America.
Among the main advantages of this business format, the opportunity for a
much smaller investment
than that needed for the premises that cater to diners stands out
, which is generally of
u $ s 150,000.
To
open a dark kitchen
you only need
15% or 20% of that amount
.
In addition, as the premises are internal,
you do not need a commercial area
but a secondary street, where
little rent is paid
.
There are no expenses for chairs, tables, decoration or building
.
Regarding
customer service
, there are no waiters or receptionists,
only a few people receiving and assembling orders
in turn.
It is all automated
, technology plays a crucial role both in day to day and in strategy.
Ghost kitchens are typical businesses of the times we live in.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
Due to its simplicity and correlation with the times we are living in, it is a business model that is
gaining more and more ground
.
In fact, it has entered the franchise industry squarely.
What is a franchise?
It is the
session of rights by a commercial brand already installed to a third party who wants to start the business on their behalf
.
In other words, the company lends its complete business model to a third party so that it can develop it where it prefers.
Just as the third party
benefits from experience, business model and a proven idea
, the company benefits from expanding its brand, acquiring new capital and increasing its income.
In this way, the franchisee develops the activity included in the franchise using the franchisor's brand and system;
always and according to its specifications,
complying in exchange with the agreed considerations
that will include: economic contributions, such as income tax and monthly royalties that the franchisor will receive.
As the premises are internal, it does not have to be located in a commercial area, but on any street where little rent is paid.
Photo: Lucia Merle
Advantages of dark kitchens franchises
As mentioned above, these ghost kitchens are
businesses well suited to the times we live in
and are being successfully developed by franchises.
Its main
advantages
include
real time
, that is, the speed with which the network attends to consumer orders.
Plus:
Work with different offers in the same place.
Possibility of changing the products offered quickly and easily (since the offer is only available for delivery).
Savings with the maintenance of the premises and the rent.
Lower cost thanks to the absence of waiters, cleaning service, etc.
Extra help with the volume of business (in case the chain also has physical premises).
Complete infrastructure and flexibility of use and payments.
Ease of movement and distribution.
Dark kitchen of Almacén de Pizzas: how much money does it take to enter the business
A dark kitchen in
Almacén de Pizzas
makes between 1,500 and 2,500 orders per month through online delivery platforms and, on average, between 700 and 1,200 take-away transactions.
"The
investment in a dark kitchen
is approximately a
quarter or a fifth of that of a full restaurant
. The entire business is quite linear, so the billing also follows that rule," said Ríos de Almacén de Pizzas.
However, he stressed that "it
is a great opportunity
for people who do not dare to invest in a restaurant due to
lack of experience
or
do not come with the money
."
To enter the business you need:
. Entrance fee:
u $ s 5,000.
It is the initial payment that is made when acquiring a franchise to have the right to the brand and the know-how.
. Initial investment
, to start the business from scratch: between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000.
.
Social media
advertising
fee (monthly): $ 100.
. Royalties:
5%.
It is the money that the owner of a right gets when someone makes use of it.
. Minimum dimensions per room:
12 m2
. Number of employees per location:
4 people
LN
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