Things are getting downright spooky in foodservice. Ghost kitchens, once a niche idea, flourished during the pandemic, when operators throughout the industry were looking for ways to reach consumers through new delivery options. A single restaurant could launch multiple virtual brands—poke, burgers, pizza, bowls—operating out of a single location, no dining room necessary.
While they don’t get the attention they once did, ghost kitchens are still a key factor in the success of many operators across the country. Though by their nature they are notoriously hard to track (they come and go as quickly as, well, a ghost), there were at least 7,600 ghost kitchens in the U.S. as of 2024, a 0.2% increase from the year prior.1
Why are there still so many? Because they fill a niche for many operators, allowing them to target diners with flexible concepts that resonate. And those same factors that commercial restaurants find appealing can easily translate to campus dining:
Flexible, low-overhead dining models
The dining landscape shifts and changes at the drop of a hat these days, and that’s particularly true when it comes to student tastes. Ghost kitchens can enable you to introduce a new concept that gives students what they want in the moment (think protein bowls or Asian street food) without the high costs associated with building out an entirely new storefront. And it’s easier to scale that concept as necessary—launch it in more locations or an eventual brick-and-mortar if it’s successful, or easily pull back and switch to a different concept when tastes shift.
Meet students’ on demand needs
Students live in an on-demand world—when they’re hungry, they want food when and how they want it. Because ghost kitchens are mobile-first, prioritizing delivery over dine-in, students can order food whenever and wherever they want and your team can focus on execution.
Crunch the numbers
The combination of data from those tech-enabled ordering systems and the flexibility of the ghost kitchen concept means that you can analyze what’s working and iterate at the drop of a hat. A college dining program can dive into real-time data in order to understand what sells, quickly and easily pivoting an entire ghost kitchen concept or utilizing those learnings throughout the program based on the data.
Ideas to leverage ghost kitchen success
Are you ready to get a little ghostly? As you’ve seen, ghost kitchens are easy to launch, which means you can offer students a new, on-demand, on-trend dining option in record time. Need some ideas to get started? Consider these options that take advantage of college dining’s unique offerings and capabilities:
Offer ghost pop-ups for unique dayparts
With a ghost kitchen, it’s easy to launch and rotate various virtual brands that serve particular dayparts. While a breakfast-only concept may not make sense as a full build-out, it’s an easy option for a ghost kitchen. Consider a breakfast burrito concept for the morning, which you can switch over to a late-night bites or ramen concept in the evening. At the University of Notre Dame, Gipper’s Late Night Kitchen is a delivery-only concept that serves up pizza and wings from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with orders taken through a third-party app and delivery executed by mobile robots.2
Put unused kitchen space to work
Underutilized kitchen space, equipment, and staff means you aren’t making the most of your dining program resources. Consider the non-peak or off-hours times at venues or in central commissaries – can you launch a ghost kitchen concept that takes advantage of those under-utilized assets? What about a “pick-me-up” ghost kitchen that focuses on snacks and drinks between the main meals?
Hyper-target students for higher engagement
Students today live in a world that speaks directly to their needs and wants – their social media algorithms feed them the content they like on a constant basis. Ghost kitchens tap into that niche marketing, connecting directly with diners by targeting them with highly-specific dining concepts. It may not make fiscal sense to open a vegan-only concept in the dining hall, but you can reach vegan students (and those who just want to eat healthier) with a vegan ghost kitchen, even if it only pops up once a week or month. Athletes, students living in dorms, finals week – how can you create ghost kitchen concepts that speak directly to specific student needs?
Turn campus favorites into ghost kitchen brands
Lean into the dishes and concepts that are already connecting with students. If you find that particular options are successful—poke bowls, chicken sandwiches, smoothie bars—you can drive sales by turning them into their own virtual brands. Give each brand its own “vibe” that is targeted directly to Gen Z (this is a great place to use mascots), creating a roster of virtual brands that meet student wants and become a part of campus culture.
Ghosts love technology
Whatever form your ghost kitchen brands take, one thing is key: infusing technology into their development and execution. Students today simply expect to use apps and are far more comfortable and familiar with ordering delivery food through their phone. Consider investing in a white label, or custom, app so you can own the entire experience—and the revenue that comes with it. That control also makes it easier to launch and pivot ghost kitchen concepts as needed.
Embracing technology is also what will allow you to crunch the numbers and gather feedback. Not only will you be able to access reports on what’s selling, what’s not, etc., but you can easily ask for student feedback directly in the ordering app. Indeed, most students consider feedback to be a central part of the food delivery experience. You can use the app to ask about satisfaction, individual dishes, and interest in other ghost kitchen concepts.
A ghost kitchen can be more than just a trend—it can combine tech, trends, convenience, and innovation in a way that connects with modern students, while driving efficiency and sales for dining services. There’s no time like the present—you can begin piloting a virtual brand in your already under-utilized kitchen space immediately.
