If the cooking of raw foods is one of the first processes of human culturalization, as the anthropologist Lévi-Strauss argues, “the cuisine of a society unconsciously translates its own structure, or even reveals, always without knowing it, its own contradictions” . And this is the starting point for understanding the success of ghost kitchens, dark kitchens and cloud kitchens, all declinations of that world of catering that hides behind home-delivered meals – the delivery di Glovo, Deliveroo, Just Eat e UberEats.
Kuiri is among the Italian companies at the forefront of the sector although it has just over a year old. It is no coincidence that it was recently awarded by B Heroes, the ecosystem of initiatives to support the growth of innovative companies, with the assignment of € 300,000 in funding.
“Many still confuse the various business models, we do cloud kitchen. We are the home of virtual brands. We are the first catering coworking. We have several kitchens in Milan, we are about to land in Turin and by the end of the year we will also open in Rome “, explains Paolo Colapietro, co-founder and CEO of Kuiri.
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The differences between ghost, dark and cloud kitchen
In the beginning the dark kitchenor portions of the kitchen of individual traditional restaurateurs used for the production of dishes dedicated to delivery. In practice, a single company that carries on the classic restaurant business open to the public and at the same time another for deliveries, under the aegis of a virtual brand. A cost optimization model and enhancement of assets, as well as personnel.
Then came the ghost kitchen where there is a kitchen specialized only in delivery activities and there is no provision in a place open to the public. In this case, a single entrepreneur can make one or more virtual brands coexist by diversifying the offer.
Finally the cloud kitchen I am shared kitchens where several brigades of different entrepreneurs make the dishes. For example, one company has two brands dedicated to pizzas and burgers, and another has three brands that make sandwiches, sushi and omelettes. Businesses have no connection other than shared space.
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Kuiri also provides cooks
“With us, 10 thousand euros are enough to get started. You don’t need a restaurant open to the public, sureties, make investments. Even haccp (the protocol for food safety, ndr.) we’ll take care of it, because in fact we supply pre-fitted kitchens. Only the particular equipment is at your expense. “, Colapietro points out.
If you were to recommend a guide book for this activity to an entrepreneur, you should focus more on The true story of the genius who founded McDonald’s by Ray Kroc, who on Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It is an operation that has bneed a valid marketing strategy, a few chefs, a winning menu and a careful calculation of costs and revenues. The technique in the kitchen is in many cases of regenerationalong the lines of fast food.
“Entrepreneurs who exceed 35-45 orders per day stand. Those who do not exceed 10-15 usually give up, or create other virtual brands. With a double brand and a single kitchen, everything is more sustainable “, explains the manager.” Among the strongest virtual brands, today I think of the piadineria Splits or the hamburgers of The Mannarino“.
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It is also called the cloud kitchen because Kuiri provides everything the digital platform to manage activities. A virtual brand does not need a room for the public, but the IT infrastructure is essential.
Obviously, an online showcase cannot be ignored, such as a website and pages on the main social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; then it is essential to remember that the real place of sale is the delivery platforms just like Glovo and all the others. Apps that exploded especially in the period of the pandemic because they allow you to choose between dishes of all kinds made by different restaurants or kitchens. After that, you receive everything at home and pay digitally or in cash.
In this sense Kuiri enters into direct agreements with the deliveries and therefore every virtual brand enjoys the advantages of this intermediation. “We manage the cash flow and we then pay each entrepreneur the due by subtracting the delivery commission”, explains Colapietro.
The startup therefore earns from the monthly rent for the use of the kitchen, from the commission on the volume of activity and finally possibly another commission if the take-way service is used.. “The latter, however, is an optional activity possible in some of our facilities. In Turin we will also implement a conveyor belt that will speed up the delivery operations to the riders”, adds the CEO of the startup.
The full potential is yet to be explored
This new business model, according to Kuiri, is compatible with populous catchment areas, basically at a high level of digitization. The average delivery customers of this type are Generation Z students and Millennials, as well as workers with no time to shop and cook on their own. Consumers who do not have problems with digital payments, like to experiment with different cuisines but do not have the budget, perhaps to go to classic restaurants.
Therefore, competitive prices and offers “that make the visibility rankings on delivery apps rise”, as well as culinary diversification, are fundamental. “Rice pokes and marinated fish, sushi, burgers, pizza, fried chicken wings are successful,” says the manager.
In Turin Kuiri will also inaugurate a new hybrid model where will provide three cooks to serve up to 10 different brands. “It will be enough for the entrepreneurs to send us the operating manual of their recipes and we will also take care of this aspect. And then we will have ample space for the storage of goods and also a sharing area to make the line of the week”, anticipates Colapietro.
In practice, the startup’s food manager will manage everything and the entrepreneurs will only have to deal with the suppliers. “Even for platform marketing we have an ad hoc agency that can help brands.”
The advice of the founder of Kuiri, however, is to focus on multi-brand projects or to take advantage of this mode of activity to test dishes that have proven to work in your area. “With a minimum investment, a restaurant entrepreneur can test a menu delivery in a city other than where he operates, reducing business risks. For those who want to climb it is perfect”, concludes the manager. “And then to cook in Esperanto, the language that should have made all peoples dialogue, it means cooked. And that’s what counts. “