Deliveroo: virtual restaurants have grown by over 150 per cent in five years
A single kitchen can accommodate several different brands and menus, sold exclusively online. This model is present in over 300 Italian municipalities
Key points
One kitchen, multiple restaurants. Over the last five years, the number of virtual restaurants on Deliveroo has increased by over 150 per cent. These are conventional kitchens with their own dining areas: they change their name, create a new menu and go online under a different brand.
The model is present in over 300 Italian municipalities. Monza is the city where virtual restaurants account for the largest share of the total number of businesses on the platform. It is followed by Varese, Milan, Turin and Bologna.
A kitchen, plus signs
The virtual restaurant, or virtual brand, exists solely within the app. The owner continues to run their traditional business alongside a second brand designed for deliveries. They can offer different dishes, create a separate menu and target a different customer base without having to open a new dining area or set up a second kitchen.
Alongside virtual restaurants, there is also a smaller-scale phenomenon, albeit one that is difficult to quantify: ghost kitchens. These are kitchens with no dining area and no premises open to the public, set up solely to prepare orders for delivery.
Virtual brands can adapt to the market
The advantage of a brand is the ability to tailor an offering based on demand from users in a specific area. “Virtual brands are an increasingly strategic tool to help our partners innovate their offering and reach new customers, making the most of their kitchens’ potential,” says Andrea Zocchi, managing director of Deliveroo Italy.
