Ghost Kitchens Broadens Walmart Collab With US Expansion

Canada’s Ghost Kitchens is broadening its collaboration with Walmart with the opening of its first U.S. location in Rochester, New York.

Ghost Kitchens Founder and CEO George Kottas said in a press release on Wednesday (Sept. 1) that this is the “next chapter” for the startup, as it continues growing with Walmart across the U.S. and advancing “seamless integrations” of the latest restaurant innovations.

The goal of the Walmart expansion is to develop “best-in-class, technology-driven customer experiences and make top-tier products more accessible across both Canadian and U.S. markets,” said Kottas.

See also: Walmart to Open Five Ghost Kitchens in Canada

One-stop meal pickup or delivery will soon be available from as many as 25 popular food brands, with new additions like Kraft Mac & Cheese, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken and more.

Plans are in the works for the collaboration between Ghost Kitchens and Walmart to grow into more U.S. locations in the next few months and into next year, with initial expansions into Texas, California, Illinois and Georgia, according to the release.

More like this: Ghost Kitchen Brand Rethinks the Connection Between Virtual and Physical

Ghost Kitchens gives people the option to have made-to-order meals — which are practical, reasonable, and up to restaurant standards — delivered or available for pickup at select Walmart stores.

Darryl Spinks, senior director, retail services, Walmart U.S., said the retail giant strives to give its customers the “highest standards” in all of its offerings and to extend the “experience they are looking for.”

Related news: Campus Ghost Kitchens Cater to Students’ Changing Dining Habits

Ghost Kitchen Brands (GKB) has teamed with numerous sought-after restaurant and packaged food labels, using the latest technology to make it easy to scale the virtual kitchen concept. The company has sites in Canada and the U.S. that focus on third-party delivery, standalone sites, interior mall shops and big-box locations.