to instantly read 150+ free stories & 250-word summaries of all our stories

knife-edge

Cloud kitchens: Cheap as chips but no cakewalk

India’s cloud kitchen market is replete with deals, acquisitions, and eye-popping funding. But how do delivery-only kitchens really function, and what’s it like to run one? We bring you a ringside view

01/03/19

Roshni Nair

Swiggy, through its Access model, wants to scale from 100+ to 300 partner restaurants by June 2019. How so? By setting up cloud kitchens in high-demand, low-supply areas across metros and Tier-II cities as well

Other players like Freshmenu, Rebel Foods, and Zomato have distinct approaches to delivery-only kitchens. This extends to their physical spaces, target geographies, and the staff in their employ

The market is especially cutthroat for smaller, independent cloud kitchens that rely on aggregators and have to contend with steep commissions and unmanageable order volumes triggered by discounts

Food cost management and menu innovation could be key differentiators in an environment where food prepared in cloud kitchens is becoming increasingly functional, ‘convenient’, and template

rsz_fork-973900-1920x1243.jpg

Want to read a free 200 word summary?

On the first floor of the mall sit six kitchens that symbolise tectonic shifts in India’s hospitality industry. Tucked in a lane off Whitefield Main Road, Bengaluru, the mall, HVP Aster’s entrance is dotted by mounds of cement and stone slabs. But walk to the first level, and the palette of construction grey gives way…

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Recurring, Quarterly or Weekly Product.

Read the full story. Subscribe now.

Why subscribe? Let us explain.

Already Registered?

Related stories

More stories in /Analysis

See all in Analysis & Healthcare

This story is for subscribers only.
or

Read the full story. Subscribe now.

Why subscribe? Let us explain.

The selected story is available only for paid subscribers. Might want to change your mind!

Subscribe now

Already Registered?

Questions?

What is The Ken?

The Ken is a subscription-driven media site. We write one story a day (weekdays only). These stories have sharp, original insights on technology, business, science and healthcare from India.

Why do I have to sign up to read your stories?

Our stories are not free. Well, some select stories are. But, a significant part of what we write at The Ken is for subscribers only. We put in a lot of effort and resources in writing our stories and believe that you must pay for good journalism.
Hence, our three plans. 1) The annual membership
2) The free sign up
3) The recurring quarterly subscription

On journalism and why you should pay for it, if you haven’t already seen it, here’s a great explainer from John Oliver.

So, one must pay for journalism?

Yes.

How many stories will I get if I take an annual membership?

200+ stories.

And, in the free sign up?

Four stories every month.

Do I get a refund?

We allow you to sample our journalism for free before signing up, and after you do, we stand by its quality. But we do not offer refunds.

I am not getting my daily emails. Do I have to whitelist emails from The Ken?

An added benefit of your subscription (free/paid) are the daily personalised emails. These emails, at times, might end up in your spam/junk folder due to emojis, attachments or images. In case you’re not receiving these emails, it might help to whitelist us. If the problem still persists, write to us at [email protected].

Why am I unable to access the archives?

Full and unrestricted access to our archives is a feature of our annual membership.

My payment is not going through, what can I do?

Please write to us at [email protected] detailing the payment error or queries.

See all FAQs