ghost kitchen

noun

plural ghost kitchens

: a commercial cooking facility used for the preparation of food consumed off the premises

Ghost kitchens host food establishments, usually fast-casual, that make meals that can be purchased exclusively with a delivery app …

—Jonah Engel Bromwich

Ghost kitchens, which have no storefronts or dining rooms, are the hottest thing going during the pandemic. Some are all-new kitchens created to house multiple companies. Others … are new brands added to existing restaurants that seek additional business.

—Michael Klein

This is what [Eric] Greenspan did with his own ghost kitchen brands—multiple cuisine styles made from the same basic supplies, all from a single location.

—RoamingHunger.com

called also cloud kitchen, dark kitchen

Examples of ghost kitchen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Why operate out of a ghost kitchen instead of a brick-and-mortar restaurant? —Ella Gonzales may 27, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026

Using the West Hollywood store, his home kitchen and another ghost kitchen, Ray is able to make about 340 pints of ice cream a week. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026

The ghost kitchens at Garden at the Line started in 2022 as a direct response to pandemic lockdowns; the management opened the on-premise dining element in 2024. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026

But when her son was born, the ghost kitchen gave her and Samir the flexibility to be with him at home. —Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 5 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2015, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ghost kitchen

• cowichan
• kitchin