QSR December 2022

OUTSIDE INSIGHTS / CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60

be accommodated by the labor and kitchen space/equipment use design; a likely risk from the large number of virtual custom ers that can order from any one kitchen. Because of the access to a large swath of customers via digital, some ghost kitchen businesses have evolved out of social media celebrities or directly by social media busi nesses due to the large volume of potential customers. The business model is the same as a ghost kitchen where a social media company partners with a kitchen design and location operation. However, some social media celebrities (with access to their millions of followers) also offer their menus to existing restaurants for the opportunity to prepare and sell the food from their current kitchens. Because of the faster launch, a new restaurant con cept can take using a ghost kitchen partner (say, 21 days versus 6–8 months), and almost an immediate access to customers order ing food via digital marketing, many of the ghost kitchens are not properly vetted by a regulatory authority that would normally perform a plan review of the facility and the menu until after they are in operation and serving food. Some ghost kitchen facil ities may also not be constructed properly according to best practices to prevent cross contamination/cross contact. Best practices Choose venues that support kitchen design with proper potable hot water for cleaning and sanitation. Design kitchens according to the menu items being prepared including separation of raw proteins and allergens from ready-to-eat food preparation. Ensure a plan review of the kitchen design andmenus being prepared by the local regulatory authori ties that include the proper number of hand wash sinks ( including assurance of hot water capacity needed if in mobile establishments) and equipment use that will reduce the risk of cross contamination and cross contact of allergens. Ensure customers have access to local health inspection scores/grades to build confidence in the safety of the loca tion. Ghost kitchens, as novel and booming a trend as they are, still live by the age-old best practices that define our industry. q HalKing ,Ph.D. isthemanagingpartnerofActiveFoodSafety,anadvisory services company whose partners developed the free EmergiProtect mobile app for the restaurant industry.

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