CALGARY (660 NEWS)–The pandemic has created opportunity, even in the struggling restaurant sector.
Two new ghost kitchens–offering delivery or pick-up only restaurant-quality food–have opened recently in Alberta’s two biggest cities.
Chef Michael Lewis of Miami has brought his hot products of Laid Fresh and Chikin to Calgary and Edmonton, and they use whatever space they can find.
“Maybe it’s a restaurant that unfortunately didn’t make it through COVID. Sometimes it is, you know, kinda inside maybe, like, a hotel kitchen and then sometimes it is in a food truck or a vessel that can be located anywhere in the city”, said Lewis.
Lewis doesn’t believe ghost kitchens will completely replace the lure of eating out, but it opens a door for some.
“I think there are some restaurants that may never go back to brick and mortar, full-service restaurants because this concept just works better for their concept.”
Even though there are a lot of people out of work in the province because of the pandemic, finding staff is still a struggle, said Lewis. That’s why for now, they are only offering delivery service from Chikin and Laid Fresh, between 12 p.m. and 2:30 a.m.
