Dark Kitchen / Ghost Kitchen
A dark kitchen (also called a ghost kitchen, cloud kitchen, or virtual kitchen) is a food preparation facility optimized for off-premises dining. These spaces have full commercial kitchen infrastructure but no front-of-house, dining room, or customer-facing storefront. They rely entirely on delivery platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) and direct online ordering for revenue.
Why It Matters for Operators
Dark kitchens offer a lower-cost entry into the NYC food market: no dining room means lower rent per square foot, fewer staff, and faster time to market. However, you're entirely dependent on delivery platforms that take 15-30% commissions. The economics only work with high volume and tight food cost control. Location matters less for foot traffic but more for delivery radius coverage.
FWDRE Insight
Before committing to a dark kitchen, verify the zoning allows commercial food preparation—some areas restrict kitchen-only operations. Also confirm that the C of O doesn't require a public-facing entrance. We've seen operators build out dark kitchens only to face enforcement action because the space was zoned for retail with customer access requirements.
Related Terms
NYC Department of Buildings document certifying a building's legal use and maximum occupancy.
NYC zoning classifications that define which commercial, residential, and manufacturing uses are permitted on a property.
A commercial space with ductwork to exhaust cooking fumes, smoke, and heat through the roof of the building.
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