Scaling Up for A Big Day: Serving Large Crowds Efficiently
Food trucks are an entrenched part of the culinary landscape, offering an array of delicious and unique dishes to food lovers in all sorts of
In the ever-evolving world of food service, operators are increasingly looking for creative ways to increase revenue, utilize underused kitchen space, and adapt to shifting consumer behavior. One of the newer and more intriguing options is partnering with a ghost kitchen brand—producing their virtual restaurant menu from your own kitchen while continuing to operate your own food truck or brick-and-mortar restaurant.
But what does that actually look like in practice? Is it a savvy side hustle or a logistical nightmare? In this deep dive, we’ll explore the real-world experience of running your own food business while also executing another brand’s menu under a ghost kitchen partnership.
Let’s get clear on the concept. Unlike renting space in a ghost kitchen to run your own delivery-only brand, this model flips things around. You’re the one with the kitchen, and you’re producing food for a separate virtual brand—often owned by a parent company or delivery-only food group.
Here’s how it works:
So you might be running your taco truck during the day, and also fulfilling orders for a fried chicken brand in the same kitchen that evening. Two brands, one kitchen.
Many food truck and restaurant operators see these partnerships as a low-risk revenue stream that leverages what they already have: staff, space, and equipment. The idea is simple—if your kitchen isn’t at full capacity, why not squeeze more profit out of it by producing extra food?
Especially during slow times (like late nights, off-days, or slower seasons), running a ghost kitchen brand can help cover rent, payroll, or inventory costs. And for food truck operators who have a commissary or brick-and-mortar prep kitchen, it’s a potentially ideal way to leverage unused hours presuming you have the labor to fulfill ghost order demand.
But just like any partnership, it comes with fine print.
If you’re curious about what the setup process looks like, here’s a general outline:
Most ghost kitchen brands actively recruit partners. You can sign up on their website, or they might reach out to you if you’re in a desirable market.
Some well-known ghost brands include:
You can also work with local virtual brands or food entrepreneurs looking to expand delivery without a physical location.
Once you connect with the brand, they’ll assess whether your kitchen is a good fit. They’ll consider:
If you pass the vetting stage, you’ll be onboarded with training materials, recipes, prep procedures, and packaging guidelines.
Your staff needs to learn how to produce a completely different menu, often with new cooking methods, ingredients, and timing.
You’ll also have to integrate with their order management systems. Most ghost brands use a delivery platform aggregator (like Cuboh, Otter, or Chowly) to route orders through Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.
You’ll likely need:
Most ghost kitchen brands provide you with their proprietary recipes but leave the sourcing to you. Some will connect you with preferred vendors to ensure consistency. Others will send you ingredients (like branded buns, sauces, or spices) regularly.
You’re usually responsible for stocking and managing all products, which adds complexity to your existing inventory system.
Once everything’s in place, you’re ready to go live. Orders come in through delivery apps under the ghost kitchen’s name, your team cooks them, and delivery drivers pick them up—often alongside your main restaurant or truck orders.
You’re typically paid either:
Let’s talk about why this can be a great move—especially if you’re running your own brand out of the same kitchen.
You’re already paying for your kitchen space, staff, and utilities. By layering a ghost kitchen brand on top, you’re maximizing your existing investment.
Think of it like Airbnb-ing your spare room—you’re monetizing unused capacity.
Ghost kitchen brands handle their own advertising. You don’t have to promote the brand or design menus. Just cook the food, fulfill the order, and keep it consistent.
This means you can focus your marketing energy on your own concept while still reaping rewards from the ghost partnership.
A lot of ghost brands are optimized around high-volume, low-complexity comfort foods—think wings, burgers, mac & cheese, or loaded fries. These categories perform well on delivery apps, especially during evenings and weekends.
So while your own concept might focus on something more niche or chef-driven, the ghost brand gives you access to a broader audience.
For food trucks and seasonal restaurants, ghost kitchen partnerships can help keep revenue flowing year-round. When foot traffic drops, app traffic can keep things alive.
It’s especially helpful for:
Creating your own virtual brand from scratch can be risky. Partnering with an established ghost kitchen brand reduces that risk. They’ve already figured out what sells, what packages well, and what consumers want.
You get a plug-and-play business model without the upfront R&D.
It’s not all gravy, though. Running someone else’s concept from your kitchen while managing your own brand creates friction—operational, emotional, and sometimes financial.
You’re now running two different menus from the same kitchen. That means:
It takes meticulous organization to keep everything flowing smoothly, especially during peak hours.
Your staff is already busy. Adding another concept can lead to burnout if you don’t adjust schedules or bring on help. Line cooks need to switch gears between brands, increasing the chance of error or slower ticket times.
Some kitchen teams love the challenge—others hate it.
What happens if a customer thinks the ghost kitchen food is yours?
Sometimes customers show up at your restaurant asking about the ghost kitchen brand. Or worse, they leave a bad review on your page for something that wasn’t your food.
You need clear boundaries between your brand and the ghost kitchen brand, both physically and online.
Ghost kitchen brands often come with tight profit margins. You’re responsible for labor, rent, ingredients, and operations, but you’re only getting a cut of the sale—sometimes just a few bucks per order.
If orders are low, you might lose money or only break even after labor and food costs.
Adding a whole new menu means new SKUs. If your kitchen’s already cramped, storing additional sauces, proteins, and packaging can be a nightmare.
Inventory management becomes more complex, and mistakes can affect both brands.
All your ghost kitchen sales go through third-party delivery platforms. That means:
You’re basically a back-of-house operator for someone else’s delivery business.
If you’re considering jumping in, here’s how to set yourself up for success:
Pick a ghost kitchen concept that:
If you have the space and team, separate your ghost kitchen operations from your own brand. A dedicated fry station or packaging zone can reduce cross-brand confusion.
Your kitchen crew should know exactly why this partnership exists and how it benefits the business. Incentivize them if possible with bonuses tied to ghost kitchen performance.
Ghost kitchen profits can disappear fast if food cost or labor isn’t dialed in. Use a POS or reporting tool to track profitability on every ghost kitchen item.
Don’t let your own concept suffer. The ghost kitchen should enhance your revenue—not cannibalize your brand or staff attention. Stay focused on quality across both.
Partnering with a ghost kitchen brand while running your own food truck or restaurant is like operating a side hustle within your own business. It can be a great way to utilize underused capacity and drive revenue with minimal marketing effort.
But it also adds complexity, risk, and a second brand’s reputation into your workflow.
If you have the bandwidth, the kitchen space, and the operational discipline, it can be a smart play. But if you’re still stabilizing your primary concept, it might be wise to focus on your own brand until you’re ready to take on more.
Like most things in the food world, success comes down to balance—of space, of staff, and of priorities.
At the end of the day, whether it’s your food or someone else’s, it still has to be made with heart, hustle, and human hands.
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