How Reef Kitchens is riding the wave of delivery demand

Reef Kitchens has a unique business. But its model is more traditional than you think. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Alan Philips, the chief creative officer for Reef Kitchens. Ghost kitchens are expanding quickly around the country, and investors have poured a ton of money into these companies, banking on a new business model that takes advantage of the growth in delivery demand. Yet there are a lot of these providers, and delivery itself still has long-term questions. Reef takes a unique approach to ghost kitchens. The company builds its “neighborhood kitchens” using modular units on parking lots in urban areas, enabling it to build them quickly. But it is the operator of the kitchens, so the chains and independents that locate in the kitchens license their brands to Reef.