US Foods Holding Corp. has created a ghost kitchen program for foodservice operators interested in creating a new revenue stream. Ghost kitchens are industrial cooking and meal prep facilities set up to support delivery and carry-out programs.

The US Foods program is designed to streamline the development process by identifying menu opportunities, including food costing, providing marketing support and guiding operators through the decision-making process. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), 75% of restaurant operators consider off-premises dining to be their best opportunity, according to US Foods.

“The ghost kitchens program was developed in response to growing interest among our customers, but we’ve also been tracking the trend, and ghost kitchens are projected to reach a $1 trillion global market by 2030, making them an attractive concept for operators even after dine-in restrictions are lifted,” says Jim Osborne, senior vice president of customer strategy and innovation at US Foods. “We also know ghost kitchens are a departure from the traditional brick-and-mortar format, so some independent operators need help to jumpstart a new venture, which is why our program takes out all the guesswork.”