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Skip the dining room and

go straight to delivery
In our Dark Kitchens 101 e-book, we covered the basic definitions of
dark/cloud/delivery-only kitchens, and explored the most common
business models.

Dark kitchens are food businesses that generally offer no in-person

customer interaction and rely on online ordering and delivery
aggregators to bring meals to customers. What this means:

- Online marketing will be your dark kitchen’s best friend.

- It’s important to get comfortable with technology, social media
and digital technologies.
- Your operating costs will be lower.
- You’ll have to get creative to bring interesting experiences to
your customers.
- Your business isn’t as tied to location – enabling you to bring
food to more and more diverse customers.
- Working with multiple online ordering and delivery
aggregators is crucial for your success.

With the definitions and benefits spelled out, you’re probably waiting
with pen in hand for practical tips, tricks and things to keep in mind as
you sketch out your very first dark kitchen business proposal.

Wait no longer. In this e-book, we’ll dive deeper into business

plans, equipment and marketing strategies needed to maximize
the success of your delivery-only restaurant.

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Contents

Chapter 1
How to get started step by step
From business plan to marketing approach, here’s a good
starting point.

Chapter 2
Investing in equipment
Dark kitchens need cooking basics, but from a different
perspective.

Chapter 3
Marketing your dark kitchen
Your dark kitchen depends on the power of the cloud. Harness it
the right way.

Conclusion
Maximize the success of your dark kitchen by optimizing your
delivery channels.

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Chapter 1

How to get started

Now that you’ve read our Dark kitchens 101 e-book, it’s time to take a
look at our step-by-step framework for launching your first dark kitchen
and get a better idea if the concept is something for you. Keep in mind that
technology – tablets, mobile apps and social media – will play a very
important part in your business operations.

1. Create your business plan

As with any business, a robust plan is essential. Formally describe your dark kitchen
concept and your proposal for running the business. Identify your USPs (unique selling
propositions). Doing so isn’t just important for your own sake, but also to attract potential
investors.

There are plenty of in-depth resources online for writing effective business plans.
However, keep the unique operations, needs and considerations of dark kitchens in mind
as you put yours together. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to do it alone;
working with a partner may offer unique benefits.

You can find more information about the different dark kitchen business models in
chapter 4 of our Dark kitchens 101 e-book.

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 2. Pick a safety-checked location
As we stated earlier, an expensive location near centers of action isn’t as
important for a dark kitchen as it is for a dine-in restaurant. However, it’s crucial
to be easily reachable by your suppliers and delivery partners.

Dark kitchens are growing rapidly in popularity, which means that there are more
options for well-equipped shared kitchens that you can rent. Or, if you notice an
area restaurant that closes after lunch, it may be possible to negotiate to use the
kitchen space during its closed hours. Creative, disruptive business models like
multi-restaurant kitchens, outsourced cooking and multiple outlets can win you
precious time, money and customers.

3. Purchase the right equipment

Before making investments in equipment, get a good idea of the functional layout of
your chosen location. How much space do you have/will you need? Where are the
electricity outlets? How is water supplied? Will you need extras to bring power and
water to the right places?

Consider the type of cuisine you’re specializing in – your equipment will depend heavily
on your needs. Are there niche appliances to source? Do you want to reduce your
reliance on specific energy sources such as natural gas?

We’ll explore more equipment and supply details in the next chapter of the
e-book.

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 4. Develop a marketing plan
A well-designed marketing strategy is a dark kitchen’s best friend. Almost all
contact you have with customers will be online, making online marketing
approaches indispensable. Ensure a strong presence on social media platforms
such as Instagram and Facebook. Generate regular buzz surrounding your brand
and your unique meal offering. Post only professional, well-presented,
mouthwatering images of your food, as online and app-based customers rely
almost completely on pictures to make their buying choices.

We’ll dive deep into online marketing in chapter 4 of this e-book.

In addition to your online presence, investing in flyers and other offline marketing
materials can also boost your sales. Identify unique ways to share your food in
interesting settings. Offering tastings by catering at events, for example, can
attract new customers by providing them with a superb eating experience up
front.

“A well-designed marketing strategy is a dark

kitchen’s best friend.”

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Chapter 2

Cooking considerations: investing in

the right equipment

Italian kitchens and sandwich shops have very different needs when it
comes to cooking essentials, appliances and raw materials. If you’re just
starting out in the food sector, remember that you don’t need to get all the
(expensive) specialized widgets, doo-dads and gadgetry up front. Invest in
the essentials first and then build from there.

Kitchen equipment
Which specific implements and appliances do you need to prepare your meals?
The water and electricity supply of your kitchen is important to consider when
acquiring tools. More, investing in higher-capacity equipment enables you to
scale faster.

Food ordering system

Selecting the right software to manage your orders and chosen delivery
channels is crucial for optimal efficiency and a chaos-free kitchen, making your
life easier so that your team can focus on preparing meals and delighting
customers. A platform that integrates all of the delivery channels you use is ideal,
providing you with an order overview in one streamlined format.

Deliverect offers this functionality, along with unique menu customization options
for specific delivery vendors and easy integration with multiple POS systems,
such as Lightspeed. Use our platform to ensure that your orders are managed
and dispatched with as little fuss as possible.

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 “Your packaging is the first “contact”
that the customer has with your business”

Food and ingredients

Identify food suppliers in your chosen area and
select them wisely. On one hand, working with
one supplier for many products simplifies
ordering and delivery, but may also limit
product choices. If the relationship goes south,
you could be left out in the cold without a plan
B.

If one of your USPs is unique tastes or

hard-to-find ethnic specialties, you may need to
work with several suppliers to acquire the
niche products that differentiate your dark
kitchen from competitors.

Packaging equipment
Your packaging is the first “contact” that the customer has with your business,
and it’s important to make a good impression. As face-to-face customer
communication is rare in the world of dark kitchens, selecting the right packaging
is crucial.

In considering your packaging options, anticipate the practicalities of how you

want your meals to be presented at the moment of delivery. Pasta, for example,
should be delivered hot, leading to condensation – which isn’t a problem unless
crispy chicken bites are included with the pasta. They could arrive at the
customer’s doorstep unappetizingly soggy.

In other words, packaging is how dark kitchens show their customers how much
they care about their eating experiences. Packaging also presents an opportunity
to get creative – leave a note? A special offer? A little treat?

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Chapter 3

Marketing your online kitchen: 10 tips

As the operator of a dark kitchen, you’ll want to dedicate plenty of

resources to marketing – especially online. These ten tips cover all the key
bases when it comes to getting your brand, and your food, out there.

1. Generate social media buzz

Instagram allows you to post attractive visual content to motivate customers to
buy your food. Even more, Instagram is an important way to forge stronger
connections with your brand. Illuminate the ins and outs of your food business.
Treat customers to ‘a day in the life’ in your kitchen. Share reviews and
experiences. Demonstrate how you prepare your food. Highlight the freshness of
your ingredients. In other words: welcome your customers into the kitchen!

Facebook, on the other hand, is useful for generating awareness of promotions of

special offers. Make sure that your posts inspire people to take action when they
are presented with your content. Make it possible for people to order your food or
download a promotional code with a single click.

Twitter can be used to engage with your customers and share messages with
them regarding your beliefs and perspectives. If you operate a vegan restaurant,
for example, post about your social responsibility efforts, such as the use of
reusable products or donations to charities.

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2. Entice customers to return again and again
Once you’ve motivated a customer to buy one of your dishes, you want them to
keep coming back. Offer repeat customers loyalty rewards in the form of price
reductions on subsequent orders, or special offers when they purchase meals for
friends.

After your customer has ordered their first meal, they’ve probably shared
information such as their e-mail or phone number with your business. Using
these channels, you can get in touch with your customers to let them know that
you’ve updated your menu, you have a special event coming up, and other
highlights to keep them interested in your products.

3. Create online referrals

Creating as many referrals as possible on different platforms allows your food
business to be found more quickly on the internet. Google reviews, Facebook
reviews, Instagram referrals, etc. get your brand seen.

4. Invest in online ads

Online advertising is an effective way to build traffic to your dark kitchen’s
website, especially when you first launch. Putting adds on Facebook, Instagram
and Google can boost brand awareness, generating curiosity and prompting
clickthroughs.

“Potential customers rely heavily

on what others have to say about your kitchen”

5. Manage reviews of your business

Good reviews are the best way to get ahead in the world of dark kitchens.
Potential customers rely heavily on what others have to say about your kitchen –
keeping everybody happy should be your number one priority.

Even more, reviews give you immediate insights into the performance of your
business. If food temperature was an issue, maybe it’s time to rethink your
packaging approach. Or, if the salad had too much dressing, you could package
the dressing separately for more flexible application. If a customer is unhappy,
don’t delay, respond immediately!

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6. Distribute a newsletter
After customers have shared their e-mail addresses with your business, you can
get in touch with them on a regular, periodic basis to share updates, events and
new offers. This keeps your business top of mind, inspiring them to order again or
motivating them to take advantage of a special holiday offer, for example.

7. Maintain a website
Your website is aimed at interested customers seeking a broader perspective of
your kitchen. Make sure to include tantalizing visuals to inspire them to buy your
meals. Place “order now” and “special offer” buttons on your site to motivate
them to take action when they visit.

Investing in an impeccable website is crucial for your dark kitchen. Visuals,

loading time and mobile friendliness are all aspects to consider – we recommend
hiring a professional to set up and maintain your website.

brand

8. Use (or build) food-ordering mobile apps

You can build your own food-ordering app (expensive, time-consuming), or
maintain presences on existing applications such as Deliveroo, UberEats,
takeaway.com, and others (quick setup but less customization). With mobile
devices experiencing higher use rates than desktop computers for the past
several years and no sign of this trend slowing down, mobile apps are absolutely
the way to go.

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9. Proactively manage your menu
Under no circumstances should you neglect your menu. Be creative, get visual
and stay consistent across platforms. If you rely on multiple third-party delivery
channels, Deliverect can make it simple to streamline the content and appearance
of all of your menus from one centralized dashboard.

10. Analyze your customer data

Do you have loyal customers? Where are they from? Do most of them fall into a
particular age group? You can use this information to spice up and pinpoint your
marketing approach to appeal even more to your primary audience.
Apart from the investment of time and money, managing and monitoring your
kitchen is easier, as all related data – gathered at every step of the food ordering
process – is online and easily accessible. Using the information generated by your
business and by your customers, you can easily determine which meal options
are favored, and confidently experiment with combinations based on immediate
customer feedback.

brand

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Conclusion

Get started with Delivery -

the right way

Simplify delivery channel management with Deliverect

Relying on several delivery and takeout aggregators means working with

different apps, online ordering channels and technologies. If handling multiple
tablets in the kitchen and dealing with a handful of different account managers
isn’t your cup of tea, we offer you a no-brainer solution that also makes it easy for
you to comply with VAT laws.
Deliverect is a software platform that collects orders placed through all
mainstream delivery and takeout services and connects directly with your POS.

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Want to learn more about how we can help you
get the most out of your delivery channels?
Visit our website,
www.deliverect.com/features, for more details.

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