Virtual kitchens focused on delivery and off-premises dining thrived during the COVID-19 global pandemic, but will the concept be a passing fad or lasting trend?
“Necessity is the mother of invention. When ghost kitchens first came out, it was because there was a necessity to do that based on the circumstances of the industry at the time with COVID,” Chris Norton, vice president of consulting services, Revenue Management Solutions, explained. “I don’t think it’s something that will go away.”
Norton will preview industry insights and consumer data that inform more than 50 major restaurant brands worldwide to help us understand the different generations we serve (boomers, millennials, Gen X, Gen Z) and how chicken foodservice can best connect with these consumers at the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit.
Registration is now open with early savings available.
Better SEO for chicken wings
Virtual concepts, like ghost kitchens, don’t exist outside of an app or e-commerce website. These are mainly designed to improve SEO or search engine optimization to attract consumers searching for one particular food they are craving, like chicken wings.
An additional benefit is that virtual concepts typically require less labor because of its sole focus on back of house.
“Sometimes with the ghost kitchen concept, the consumer oftentimes might not know that it’s actually coming from there. It’s just a satellite kitchen that’s made for delivery or pickup,” added Norton.
For example, Little Blue Menu, the virtual brand operated by Chick-fil-A, offers food from two brands – Outfox Wings and Because, Burgers, as well as the classic chicken sandwiches and other menu items from Chick-fil-A. Customers can choose from smoked, roasted and traditional bone-in wings, classic fried chicken, five different burger items, waffle or traditional fries and a variety of other sides.
Little Blue Menu was initially launched in 2021 in Nashville, expanding to College Park, Maryland in 2023.
Attend the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit
Make plans to attend the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 29-31, 2024. This one-of-a-kind event will look forward to the consumer of 2035 and the issues that will impact their protein choices.
For the first time, the Summit will have two content tracks. As always, one track will focus on consumer trends of today and what will be expected in 2035 and how advancing digital technology will impact how chicken will be sold and marketed in the future. The second content track will explore how the industry will meet consumer expectations by adapting new and existing technologies to raise and process broilers utilizing fewer resources and with improved welfare, food safety and convenience.
Submit your free nomination for Chicken Marketer of the Year.
Registration is now open for the Chicken Marketing Summit with early savings available.
