What are ghost kitchens?

Ghost kitchens, also called virtual kitchens or kitchens to go, are food preparation facilities that interact with customers through online ordering. Unlike brick-and-mortar restaurants, there’s no dine-in area. Instead, customers connect with the kitchen through phone calls or delivery services. As a result, ghost kitchen owners save money on real estate, furniture and supplies.

While the virtual kitchen concept has been around for a while, it grew in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and quarantines encouraged more customers to order online, proving lucrative for ghost kitchens and detrimental for traditional, in-person restaurants. Although social distancing guidelines have faded, online delivery—and ghost kitchens—are as strong as ever.

How to hire people for your ghost kitchen

Staffing your ghost kitchen requires more than just searching the job market and picking out a few individuals. It’s about finding a team who will work together to provide consistent, efficient service. To achieve this, consider the following:

• The roles you need to fill
• The quality level you’re looking for
• Your scheduling needs

Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

What positions need to be filled?

A primary advantage of ghost kitchens is reduced staffing costs. A ghost kitchen only needs a small workforce to handle cooking and food delivery, so there’s no need for many traditional restaurant roles, such as hostesses, cashiers, waiters and busboys. Common kitchen to go roles include:

• Chefs and cooks: Unless you’re a culinary genius, you’ll need to hire at least one or two chefs. These individuals are responsible for developing recipes for your virtual brand. They’re different from cooks, who are in charge of preparing the menu items. You can start small, then hire more cooks as demand increases.
• Kitchen manager: A kitchen manager (or production supervisor) is in charge of day-to-day operations. They keep the kitchen running efficiently and ensure all prepared food meets quality standards.
• Customer service personnel: A customer service agent takes customer orders, prepares receipts and resolves any complaints or disputes. While this position is optional, it’s helpful if you have many customers calling in or looking to speak with someone.
• Sorting or packing staff: As orders flood in, it’s useful to have one or two employees sort orders, handle food packing and make sure meals are delivered to the right customers. Some kitchens may ask their cooks to handle this responsibility, but it can be difficult to juggle making and packing orders on busy days.
• Couriers: Since ghost kitchens lack a dine-in area, they rely heavily on takeout orders. Couriers are the drivers (or cyclists) responsible for delivering orders directly to customers. You can remain in-house by assembling your own delivery team or engage third-party food delivery services, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub.

The positions you need to fill might change over time. For example, most new ghost kitchens don’t have sorting staff and rely heavily on third-party delivery applications. However, as your kitchen grows, you may find yourself in need of additional staff members or even your own delivery team.

What’s the best way to find skilled workers?

Once you’re clear on your kitchen roles, the next task is to find competent employees to fill them. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a staffing shortage in the restaurant industry and created stiff competition for top talent. Increase your chances of attracting high-quality applicants by following these employer branding tips:

• Write detailed and informative job descriptions: The first thing interested candidates will notice is your job description. Strive to make your job posts as informative as possible, without being boring or overly detailed. Key elements to include are your skill, work experience and certification requirements. You should also list job responsibilities, hours and salary expectations.
• Use job sites: Many kitchen owners share job postings on their websites. While this is a great way to connect with people already interested in your ghost kitchen, there are many qualified candidates who may not visit your website. It’s a good idea to also post on sites and search engines that attract a wide range of job seekers, such as Indeed.
• Offer competitive rates: Read some local job postings to determine how much target workers get paid for similar jobs in the area. Then, try to match this figure or offer a higher hourly rate.

When it comes to finding employees, quality is key. One hard-working, motivated staff member is far more valuable than a group of disinterested, passionless employees.

How do you schedule staff?

For ghost kitchens to run smoothly, you’ll need a proper schedule in place. Key benefits of effective scheduling include:

• Lower labor costs: Through proper planning, you can make sure hourly-rate employees only show up when they’re needed. For example, if you tend to get takeout orders at dinner-time, hire packing staff to come in at that time only.
• Fewer mistakes: Maintaining a clear schedule reduces the risk of making mistakes by ensuring you always have the right amount of workers. Conversely, a confusing schedule may cause employees to unintentionally miss shifts when they’re needed most.
• Increased flexibility:Giving employees a clear schedule makes it easier for them to request certain days off or switch shifts with fellow employees. Providing this flexibility offers a healthier work-life balance and keeps your staff happy.

For easier planning and scheduling, consider investing in scheduling software. Using technology, workers can access schedules remotely, coordinate with one another and even place off-day requests.

Ghost kitchen staffing FAQs

How many delivery applications should ghost kitchens work with?

You should strive to work with as many delivery applications as possible, even if you have your own delivery staff. Companies like GrubHub and UberEats don’t just offer delivery services, they also connect you to a wider customer base. The more applications you use, the more people you can reach.

Do I need to employ permanent staff for my ghost kitchen?

Not necessarily. Since the restaurant industry experiences peak and off-peak seasons, you can save on salaries by hiring on-demand for peak seasons and maintaining short contracts as opposed to long-term employees. However, if your ghost kitchen takes off, it may make more sense to transition to full-time employees. Whether you have a temporary or permanent staff, it’s important to keep employees happy to avoid spending more on recruitment.

Is a ghost kitchen right for your restaurant business?

If you have a food concept you’d like to try out, a ghost kitchen is a great place to start. Get the feedback you’re looking for without investing too much money into staffing, equipment and infrastructure. You can always transition to a traditional, in-person format later.