Doyou know whatMariah Carey, Guy Fieri, Mario Lopez, "Jersey Shore" star Pauly D, rapper Tygaand YouTube star MrBeast have in common?
They all have their own food products, from chocolate chip cookies to Italian subs, that can be delivered with the touch of a button.
Where are their restaurants? Nowhere. The celebrities are the latest to join the world of ghost kitchens, a culinary concept that can be hard to put your finger on.
Ghost kitchens (sometimes called virtual kitchens) are mostly delivery-only restaurants that either use an eatery's existing kitchen and staff to prepare food, which is ordered through the business or third-party delivery apps like GrubHub and DoorDash, or utilize rented commercial kitchen space.
Essentially, these are restaurants without the front of house, explains Sarah "Mo" Mohamed, who runs Mo's Kitchen, an Egyptian street food ghost kitchen, out of a food truck behind a commercial cooking space in Asbury Park.
"If you want to bring your ideas and your menu to the world and get a kitchen going and essentiallyopen a restaurant, you could– without all the cost, without the dining room and the headache and the hiring and the firing and the insurance and all the extras that come with opening a restaurant," she said.
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For those witha restaurant, it's using existing space to make more money – a good idea any time, butespecially during a pandemic and while the use of delivery apps is on the rise. For those without,it's a way to dip their toes into the field without first making a huge investment.
According to a survey by RestaurantOwner.com, the cost of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant falls between $275,000 and $425,000.
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And ghost kitchens are notjust for superstars andchain restaurantslike Red Robin, Chili's and Applebee's, all of which run separate food businessesout of their kitchens. Smaller restaurant owners and would-be owners are embracing the model,although for some, there areconcerns.
“You see how a lot of big companies are doing ghost kitchens,” said chef Timothy Witcher, owner of The Wing Kitchen in Turnersville and Glassboro, and Witcher’s Kitchen in Turnersville. “This is the problem for a local restaurant. We don’t get the same deal and breakdowns as people with huge names or huge companies. So Chili’s can make a deal with DoorDash and maybe DoorDash is only taking 5% from Chili’s because Chili’s is huge– where they take 22 percent to 25 percentfrom me or any other local mom and pop shop or small restaurant business.
"So now we’re paying 22 percent to 25 percentfor DoorDash and our regular cost also. It’s nuts. But you have to do it to stay relevant in the game.”
Where to find ghost kitchens in New Jersey
Bang Dumplings, Somerville
Verve, an eclectic bistro and 25-year-old cornerstone of Somerville, is known for its high-end French dinner fare and craft co*cktails. But from 6 a.m. to noon– long before (or after, depending on how late you stay) the restaurant is filled with its regular crowd – something else is cooking in its kitchen: dumplings.
Bang Dumplings is a joint venture between Verve owner Rick St. Pierre and his wife, Remy St. Pierre, who was born in Thailand and used to work in Thai restaurants. Remy creates hand-rolled dumplings from her father’s recipes in the Verve kitchen in six varieties. The dumplings are available for pickup, catering and on the regular Verve dine-in menu, although Bang Dumplings is a separate entity from Verve.
When the St. Pierres got married four years ago, they created the Bang Dumplings concept and began looking for a brick-and-mortar space to house it. The search for a space wasn’t working out,so they decided to make it a “ghost kitchen” for the time being.
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“We have been looking for a noodle dumpling location that we just haven’t been able to secure, so I said, why don’t we make it a ghost kitchen for now, build the brand, test the market and once there’s desirability, look for a brick and mortar expression later?” said Rick.
It’s been working for Verve, too. Bang Dumplings optimized Verve’s empty kitchen space during the morning – Verve stopped serving lunch 12 years ago since it didn’t make financial sense. Plus, the dumplings are the No. 1 appetizer on Verve’s menu, even though Rick said he hasn’t yet marketed Bang Dumplings as much as he plans to, partly due to COVID-19.
“During COVID-19, I had to focus on the Verve menu and to-go and what Verve needed,” he said. “In the future, to keep Bang Dumplings growing, I’m looking to increase the marketing of it and the delivery in a 10-mile radius, and then that would boost sales incredibly.”
Go:Inside Verve at18 E Main St. No. 4, Somerville;bangdumpling.com. Order for pickup or on Verve's dine-in menu.
READ MORE:As 'ghost restaurant' trend grows, here's where to find them in North Jersey
Chef Big Rube’s Kitchen, Philadelphia, South Jersey
Chef Reuben “Big Rube” Harley, known as Philly’s beloved Fried Chicken Master, offers pickup and delivery through established partners.
The Philly-based ghost kitchen specializes in southern food Harley calls “Black folks style cooking.”
Harley, a pop-up chef and photographer, started in the mid-1990s when he’d sell fried chicken and other southern comfort foods in barbershops and hair salons in the city.
There are five different menus: Big Rube’s Fried Chicken, Big Rube’s Philly Cheesesteak, Big Rube’s Burger Bar, Big Rube’s Breakfast Sammiches and Big Rube’s Shrimp.
The delivery is through Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub and Postmates. Pickup is based on the partnerships he has with several restaurants, two in Philly and one in Jersey.
Harley partners with Thomas Murphy’s Pub in Gloucester City, located in Camden County. South Jersey area residents can go through Thomas Murphy’s Pub to order the food, which is on the pub’s menu. The offerings include wings, half a chicken, legs, thighs, breast, OG Fried Chicken Sammich, Cashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
“We partnered with Big Rube in Philadelphia,” Thomas Murphy’s Pub manager Michael O’Meara said. “He has ghost kitchens in Philadelphia and he’s become very popular for his fried chicken. What we do is, he kind of promotes us and he gives us his product, he has his own flour dredge, his brine and his sauces and we serve his fried chicken here … He gave us the directions on how to make everything so we produce it just like his.”
Harley visits the restaurant regularly and gives demos to make sure his chicken is being made properly. O’Meara said it’s worked out well for the pub.
“Definitely when he is on WIP radio, we have a lot of local customers, but we have a lot of new people come in,” he added. “They’ll say, ‘You guys sell Rube’s fried chicken here, right?’ ”
O’Meara said the owners were in the midst of changing up the menu when the pandemic happened. They did major renovations to the pub, so why not renovate the menu a bit as well?
“They were like ‘we need something that is going to bring people in so that we can retain them and kind of show everybody all the work we’ve done on our restaurant,’” he said.
Go: Thomas Murphy’s Pub,157 S Burlington St., Gloucester City, 856-432-6317; thomasmurphyspubnj.com/
Cluckwerks, Haddonfield
To help supplement income during the pandemic, Denim BYOB owners launched a takeout-only concept called Cluckwerks, which serves fried chicken sandwiches, salads, sides and more.
Denim has ceased operations as the owner addresses health issues, but anew restaurant in the location,Wanda BYOB, haschef Anthony Lipot at the helm.
David Murray, owner and head chef of Denim, will retain the Denim brand, which he says is on hiatus.
Lipot, meanwhile, is leasing the siteand purchased the restaurant’s assets from Murray and will utilize existing Denim staff."I’ve also purchased from David his ghost kitchen concept,” he said, referring to Cluckwerks.
Lipot saw it as a big asset he wanted to capitalize on. “I think the future of it is, it’ll stay as a ghost kitchen at Wanda BYOB forever, I hope. Hopefully, it takes off so much that I can find a brick-and-mortar for it and come up with something else.”
The chicken sandwiches have names such as Haddonfield Hot (lettuce, pickles and rosemary-infused cayenne butterscotch);Bombay (lettuce, red onions and curry butter sauce); and Parma Jawn(marinara, mozzarella, garlic Parmesan bun).
Cluckwerks also offers chicken strips andchicken bites with various sauces.
Order delivery is through DoorDash.
Go: 116 King’s Highway East, Haddonfield, 856-520-8114; instagram.com/cluckwerks/?hl=en
Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, Cherry Hill, Sicklerville, Marlton
In February it was announced that Food Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri was opening 26 of his Flavortown Kitchen restaurant concepts on the East Coast, four of those in South Jersey, in addition to locations in Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania.
Now open in 23 states plus Washington, D.C., Fieri's new restaurant conceptis adelivery-only, ghost kitchen model, utilizing the kitchens of existing restaurants.
The four South Jersey locations include two addresses in Marlton, one in Sicklerville and another in Cherry Hill.
Fieri, whose name is on dozens of other brands, is well known for his Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Flavortown is beinglaunched in partnership with Robert Earl of Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), a company Earl co-founded thatessentially trades virtual kitchens to help existing restaurants gain extra revenue from celebrity-brandedconcepts, such as Tyga Bites, MrBeastBurger and Mariah’s Cookies.
“The virtual brand, very simply, is a food brand that has been created for online delivery only,” Earl said on the VDC website. “These brands come ready made with every food type, the most amazing packaging and marketing with some of the biggest celebrities in the world with the largest social media reach … With a virtual brand, you can do it with your existing staff from your existing kitchen with your existing utilities. All of which lowers the cost and maximizes your profitability.”
Once the Hard Rock Café CEO, Earl built his restaurant brand and empire with themed restaurants such as Planet Hollywood.
Flavortown Kitchen will mostly operate out of the kitchens of restaurants such as Buca di Beppo, Brio Italian Grille, Bravo Italian Kitchen, Bertucci’s and other concepts associated with Florida-based Earl Enterprises, owned by Earl.
The limited menu includes dishes like Real Cheesy Burger, Bacon Mac ‘n’ Cheeseburger, Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbecue Wings, Italian Stallion Salad and Jalapeno Pig Poppers. The prices range from $9.99 to $14.99. Desserts and sides are available, too.
No pickups are allowed. The food can be ordered online through the Flavortown Kitchen website or through third-party delivery apps including Grubhub, Postmates, UberEats and DoorDash.
Go: 901 Haddonfield Road, Cherry Hill, 625 Cross Keys Road, Sicklerville, 515 N. Route 73 and 500 Route 73 South, Marlton; guysflavortownkitchen.com/
It’s Just Wings, Cherry Hill, Deptford, Millville, Mount Laurel
The It’s Just Wings Facebook page says it has “Killer wings. Stupid prices. No forks. No knives. No napkins. Oh, yeah, and the fries are included!”
The delivery-only brand was created by the owners of Chili’s and Maggiano’s, which rolled out delivery nationwide through DoorDash nearly two years ago.
“It's Just Wingsis a virtual, delivery-only Brinker brand created to meet the guest's need for value and convenience,” CEO Wyman Roberts said in a statement.
It’s Just Wings is a separate brand from Chili’s and Maggiano’s, although those are the restaurants it operates from. Customers cannot walk in and order in-store. The concept can only be ordered through DoorDash.
The brand features 11 sauces and curly fries are included in every order at no additional cost. Fried Oreos are a dessert option.
Go: Order online only at DoorDash or via itsjustwings.com/
Krazee Gyros, Metuchen
Like pretty much all restaurants, COVID-19 was tough on The Greek on Main, a cozy, upscale Greek eatery in Metuchen. And also like all restaurants, it had to pivot more times than its owners could count during the pandemic.
But at least one of those pivotsturned out to be much more than just a temporary fix:Krazee Gyros, a ghost kitchen owned by Theodore Kappas, who also ownsThe Greek on Main.
“We had to adapt and we had to increase our revenue somehow,” said Kappas. “December, January and February are slow months to begin with, so I said, 'How can I add something to the everyday revenue? I have the ingredients, I have the people here working, and we are going to be slow anyway, so let’s try this.' ”
After launching in December 2020, the delivery-only gyros concept quickly took off. He offers offbeat gyro varieties such as lobster, plant-based gyro "meat" and shrimp, in additional to traditional varieties.Some nights, Krazee Gyrosgot so busy that Kappas had to shut it down so staff could focus on The Greek on Main's dine-in service.
But that was also one of the ghost kitchen benefits: Kappas can shut Krazee Gyrosdown whenever he needs to.
Although the same chefs who cook for The Greek on Main also cook for Krazee Gyros, the ghost kitchen is a completely separate entity with its own website and packaging. Kappas said it might end up being a seasonal concept – or, once he runs the numbers, it might even operate out of its own kitchen somewhere else. He’s even thinking about offering the concept to other Greek restaurants in a franchise format.
“I thought it was going to be just a little thing on the side, but so far, so good,” Kappas said. “People like the idea of street Greek food. They’re excited about it because we haveso many gyro options and the quality is amazing, even though my prices aren’t the cheapest. People respond to that —they always respond to quality.”
Go:Deliver only; visitkrazeegyros.com.
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Mo's Kitchen, Asbury Park
Sarah Mohamed has lived in Asbury Park for more than a decade, and she works the front of house at Watermark, one of the city's most popular restaurants.
She knows the city's ins and outs, its businesses and its people. But she wasn't sure how well they would receive the food she lovesto cook.
"I cook Egyptian street food," said Mohamed, 32, a first-generation American. As the daughter of a chef, she grew up in the kitchen.
Mo, as she likes to be called, makes tameeya, Egypt's take on falafel; ful medames, or simmered fava beans; and kushari, which is white rice with lentils, macaroni, garlic vinegar sauce and fried onions. She grills chicken for shawarma wraps and serves spiced fries with garlic sauce. And she does it without a kitchen to call her own.
The Watermark team decided in the fall that they would remain closed through the winter, which gave Mohamed time to test her concept. She learned of an open space at the Asbury Park Food Collective, a commercial kitchen, and signed a six-month lease for a pop-up that runs through the end of May.
"My kitchen is actually a food truck in their parking lot," said Mohamed, who serves dinner Thursdays through Mondays. "For the minimal cost of just a lease and some equipment, I got a restaurant off the ground and managed to open a venue and a delivery service without the overhead."
Customers order throughher Instagram page or Grubhub, DoorDash or Uber Eats, though Mohamed prefers for customers toorder through her because the delivery apps take a percentage of her profits.
When her lease ends, Mohamed plans to provide catering and personal chef services.
But the ghost kitchen gave her the opportunity "to test the area, test the kitchen, to see 'does it work here?' "
Go: The Asbury Park Food Collective is at 906 Sewall Ave., Asbury Park. Order viainstagram.com/moskitchenap.
RaphiVictus, Metuchen
After studying the slow food movement, whichfocuseson preserving traditional ways of cooking, East Brunswick native Raphael Smith decided to take his studies out of his Switzerland classroom and to a small organic farm in Germany.
While there, he was responsible for cooking for 10farm employees. So to save time and maximize flavor, he created a mild but bold vegan cooking base and condiment he could use in vegetable dishes, lentil stews, potatoes and more.
“I would harvest fresh vegetables, put them on this rack behind my bike, rush over to the little kitchen that they had and use this paste to create vegan dishes,” Smith said. “Everyone really loved it. This base represents all I love about food and so many different cultures without being one culture."
Fast forward fiveyears.Smith headed back to the U.S. – this time to Metuchen – and one year later,began working for Be My Guest, a personal chef and catering service. About ayear later, he began using the space as a ghost kitchen for his own brand and the base that inspired it all.
The base, CurryUnion, is the first product in his company'svegan spice and condiment line. RaphiVictusis inspired by cuisines from South East Asia, South Asiaandoceanic islesacross the globe.
“My goal is to learn how to be a personal chef and also promote this little business,” said Smith. “It’s taking some time to take off, but it’s an exciting venture. It really combines my passion for different cuisines.I wanted to add all of these elements together and be able to navigate the world of food and what kinds of flavors I loved.”
Be My Guest was also used as anincubator for a meal prep company, so RaphiVictus was a naturaltenant as Smith began work there. As a newsmall business, it was an affordable solution to launch RaphiVictus from there, Smith said.
In the future, Smith plans to add more products and spice mixtures to the line, and eventually expand the brand into a catering company or plant-based café. For now, he’s focused on launching new products by the summer and increase his marketing.
“What I would have done in the beginning was go to restaurants or food conventions to speak to people about my product, but with COVID-19, I haven’t been able to do that and as a result people don’t yet see the possibilities and my passion,” Smith said. “It’s been a bit of a challenge over the last few months, but it’s on the rise.”
Go:Orderatraphivictus.com/products/curry-union(shipping available to tristate area) or contact Smith at raphaeldominic@raphivictus.com to organize local delivery or pickup from10 Pearl St., Metuchen.
Social Subs, Neptune
When AngelaDitaranto opened Crave, Your Local Eatery in fall 2019, there was no way of knowing a pandemic would come along less than six months later and shut it down.
She closed the restaurant in March, unsure if she would be able to reopen. But in June, she did, then a new revenue stream came about: virtual restaurants.
"We had been open and doing really well, but I needed that little push," said Ditaranto, who began working with an outside company to create virtual restaurants she could run out of her kitchen.
Last fall, she launched Social Subs,International Egg Rolls, Soulful Salads, Grandma's Sunday Gravy, and Mothertrucker Cheesesteaks.
"They’re just taking items off my menu and being creative," she said. "Everything’s made to order."
Social Subs' offerings includeItalian hot dogs, eggplant parmigiana, and Capresesandwiches; International Egg Rolls has rolls stuffed with macaroni and cheese, cheesesteak, broccoli rabe and sausage, and Cuban sandwich ingredients; and Grandma's Sunday Gravy has build-your-own pasta dishes, meatballs, sausage andgarlic bread.
"That's been pulling us through," Ditarantosaid, adding that her virtual restaurants earn nearly as much as Crave."We've been doing really well with them."
Go: Order through DoorDash, Grubhub and Seamless; 502 Waverly Place, Neptune; 732-361-0669, craveeateries.com.
Esther Davidowitz contributed to this story.
