Kroger’s has announced its latest in-store ghost kitchen test with a Kitchen United Mix location inside a Ralphs store in Los Angeles that serves meals from 10 different restaurants for pickup or delivery.
Customers can order meals from multiple restaurant brands and have everything delivered together for one delivery fee. Kroger and Kitchen United started working together last summer and Kroger expects to open more ghost kitchens in Texas, reportedly in Dallas and Houston.
Ghost kitchens give grocers a way to compete with restaurant takeout and delivery and offers an option for shoppers who have made ordering meals online a regular part of their lives. During the pandemic, supermarkets came under increased pressure to provide options to consumers as takeout and deliveries from restaurants became stiff competition for share of stomach.