Dark kitchens: the solution to kitchen inefficiencies and high operational costs

Dark kitchens in Singapore have exploded in popularity in the past year. As of 2020, the food delivery market in Singapore is worth over $700 million per year – a figure which is growing by the day. The search for increasingly convenient – yet still high quality – meals has driven this evolution, but events like the COVID-19 pandemic have undoubtedly accelerated its growth. And by the looks of it, the F&B industry will have changed for good, even after the virus is no longer a lingering threat.

The good news is that many restaurants and F&B businesses have made the move to try and become more delivery focused. The problem? The old restaurant model is outdated and not suited to this new focus. Kitchen spaces are not optimised for delivery orders as costs are unnecessarily high.

Dark kitchens offer a more pragmatic solution for those looking to accommodate this shift to delivery. Dark kitchens solutions are primed to help businesses in Singapore adapt, grow, and scale under these new norms.

The following are 7 reasons why opening a dark kitchen could be next best move for your business moving into this new delivery-centric F&B world.

How are dark kitchens a more efficient option for F&B business owners in Singapore?

#1 They allow you to serve more customers in less time

Present-day restaurants are designed around the dine-in experience. For many, a delivery service is merely appendaged onto their dine-in offerings and, until now, has not played a major role in their revenue streams.

The recent delivery boom is the impetus behind so many restaurants are transitioning. With old kitchens and dining-orientated restaurants proving inefficient, dark kitchens are one way to fulfil more orders in less time. Higher profits then feed back into your company’s overall success.

#2 You can manage all your orders through a single tablet

One of the most challenging parts of running a delivery-focused kitchen is handling countless orders and making sure no mistakes are made. Smart City Kitchens offers specially designed software on a single tablet in each dark kitchen to ensure that everything is organised and efficient.

Our dark kitchen software allows you to generate demand metrics, understand where bottlenecks are and manage orders – all in one place.

#3 Our business team is ready to support your dark kitchen

Dark kitchens are a new industry, and this can make them seem intimidating to those more used to running traditional restaurants. To make the process of opening a dark kitchen brand and maximising your efficiency, we have a team of business specialists that can offer advice and assistance when it comes to finding the best suppliers, cutting unnecessary costs and improving your delivery service. After all, your success is our success.

#4 Dark kitchens are a turnkey solution

Opening a new restaurant has never been something done overnight. Finding the right suppliers, organising renovation work and hiring new front of house staff are all steps that need to be taken before the restaurant can welcome its first customers.

With a dark kitchen, everything is prepared for you before you even move in. Equipment, renovations and optimized spaces are ready for your team while dining services are completely eliminated in favour of high-turnover deliveries.

How can dark kitchens save you money?

#1 No money spent on front of house responsibilities

As mentioned, front of house responsibilities is the burden of traditional restaurant models. Having waiters and bartenders is undoubtedly a premium experience, but that is not what the majority of people are looking for at the moment. With less and less people eating out and more ordering delivery, its time to optimise your business with a dark kitchen.

#2 Less money spent than running a costly dine-in location

Dark kitchens are designed to be optimised spaces that get the job done. There is no wasted money when you operate in a dark kitchen: orders are fulfilled, and customers get exactly what they want: no more and no less.

#3 Easy scalability

One of the true tests of running a successful restaurant business is whether you can scale it. Over 80% of restaurants close down within the first 5 years, largely because of the extortionate operational costs required and, to many, unachievable upfront costs related to opening a new location.

Dark kitchens offer a solution to this, taking nay permits, renovations, optimisations and logistics out of the equation and allowing you to move in and get started faster and cheaper than ever.

Make the shift to delivery with Smart City Kitchens

Want to modernise your restaurant business and have a kitchen space dedicated to deliveries? Get in touch with Smart City Kitchens today and take your F&B business to the next level.