Ghost kitchens were deemed good until recently, when they became a subject of backlash from Uber Eats Australia users. Here’s the scoop.
Tricking customers?
During the previous weeks, this Ridesharing Forum site reported Uber being in talks with the chief executive officer of a ghost kitchen for a project.
Under this business model of ghost kitchens, restaurants operate with lower overhead costs – overhead costs are some of the biggest challenges when running restaurants – by eliminating the need of a front-of-house staff and dining space.
Usually, ghost kitchens are partnered with online platforms like delivery apps – such as Uber Eats – or direct via the restaurant’s website. Then, the food is prepared in the ghost kitchen, then delivered to the customer.
Now, a single shopfront advertising itself as a burger joint is actually housing up to a whopping 15 restaurants!
The restaurant, based in Berwick in Melbourne, is named Burgur, an extreme case of the “ghost kitchen” phenomenon, but in a negative way.
Over on Uber Eats, listings show it is linked to at least 15 restaurants, offering everything from Mexican to burgers to chicken to ice cream.
It is perfectly all right for one restaurant to offer several food choices from various cuisines, but to trick customers that their orders are coming from various restaurants in an issue…
On delivery apps like Uber Eats, Burger is also Mad Mexican, MAD TACO, BurgerFI, IN OUT BUNS, GOLD BUNS, Milky Bun, CHICKEN, WING WING, MELT SHOP, Milky Scoop, Ronys, Wrap’d, Mr. Chips Man, and American Fri.
Not just that, but many of the menus are identical, using the same photos, but different prices! Whoa.
Heated debate
Many of the locals who were duped that they were ordering from differen restaurants and that they were ordering the same food at different prices shared their reactions. Ghost kitchens are no supposed to be like this.
Some of them are saying, “Ghost kitchens have gone too far,” “Ghost kitchens have existed for a long time on all food delivery platforms,” “Ordered one of the worst burgers of my life. ‘Won’t buy from them again’ I thought. Ordered from what I thought was a different burger joint a week or so later. Then watched as the driver collects from the same damn place (fool me once),” “Later had some terrible, tasteless, watery Indian food. Next time I ordered from what I thought was a different joint. Watched in dismay as the driver picks up at the same place, which was as terrible as the first (fool me twice), “Once again ordered from what I thought was yet a different Indian place. The cry of pain when I see the driver stopping out the front of the first one (fool me thrice).”
Sadly, because of this, many of them decided to stop ordering from Uber Eats Australia.
The Ridesharing Forum site has reached out to Uber Eats Australia for its official statement. They stated, “A virtual restaurant allows chefs and business owners to utilise the space they already have in their kitchens, to try cooking new cuisines and reach new customers with online-only brands. Uber Eats gives restaurants across Australia the flexibility to choose how they partner with us, while continuing to meet our standard requirements and community guidelines.”
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