How to Run a Ghost Kitchen: 8 Running a Ghost Kitchen Business Tips (2025) - Toast

Michele's take

The fact that a major POS and restaurant technology platform like Toast is now publishing operational playbooks for ghost kitchens tells me this model has crossed from experimental to mainstream infrastructure — and franchise networks that haven't built a ghost kitchen strategy are already behind. The real signal here isn't the tips themselves, but who's writing them: when the technology stack providers start educating operators, it means the unit economics have stabilized enough to warrant standardization. For QSR brands and multi-unit franchisees, this is the moment to audit whether ghost kitchen formats belong in your portfolio as a low-capital expansion vehicle or a demand-testing tool before committing to brick-and-mortar leases.