The following text is an excerpt from the "European Food Trends Report 2021", that can be ordered on our website.
Besides shifts in the consumer habits of customers, changes are also underway regarding how and where food from delivery services is being produced and sold. Increasingly, listed restaurants only exist in a virtual sense in the app, socalled ghost kitchens.
The next level up from ghost kitchens is now ghost franchises. They are ghost restaurants that have opened additional ghost branches at several sites. They operate from existing restaurant kitchens under their own brand and generally offer a limited menu – e.g. only burgers and French fries. Such cooperation is a perfect opportunity for both the owners of the ghost franchises and existing restaurants to make a little extra money when times are hard.
Even if they turn over less due to the limited ordering options and dishes, this allows ghost franchises to perfect their trade. At the same time the kitchens they hire space in benefit from this agreement. They receive part of the takings generated via the name, logo, recipes and the high profile of the ghost franchise company. By only hiring premises the ghost franchise saves itself any maintenance of the kitchen so everyone involved benefits from this agreement.
But how does the human ecosystem benefit from this development? What is the impact on our microbiome of regularly consuming such standardised delivery menus from ghost kitchens that have been honed for efficiency? Does this mean that we are driving away even more of the good bacteria and encouraging species extinction inside our bodies because we are no longer able or willing to cook ourselves? Because our food is then only produced in high-tech, sterile industrial kitchens instead of at home, in a kitchen in frequent use whose hygiene standards are not impeccable?
GDI Study No. 50 / 2021
Languages: German, English
Format: PDF, 50 pages