Virtual Restaurant: A New Format That’s Changing the Game

The virtual restaurant model is a business model that specializes exclusively in preparing food for delivery, using online platforms and mobile apps to receive orders. No dining tables, interiors, or parking lots — just delicious food and fast delivery.

The concept emerged before the pandemic, but COVID-19 gave it a powerful push. While traditional restaurants were closing one after another, virtual kitchens thrived. In 2023, the global virtual restaurant market was valued at $65 billion, and by 2030, analysts predict it will grow to $155 billion.

Thinking about opening a virtual restaurant? That’s great, but it’s especially urgent if you’re:

• A traditional restaurant owner who wants to increase revenue without expanding the dining room. You can launch an additional virtual brand in the same kitchen. For example, operate as an Italian trattoria during the day and sell wings as a virtual Wing Stop in the evening.
• A novice entrepreneur with a limited budget or big ambitions. After all, renting a commercial kitchen costs significantly less than opening a full-fledged establishment. And the likelihood of profitability and business growth is quite high.
• A chef who dreams of their own brand but isn’t ready to immediately invest hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Trends for 2026 show that specialized niche menus (for example, only khinkali or only vegan pizza), integration with artificial intelligence for delivery optimization, and a focus on product quality can make a virtual restaurant a very profitable investment.

How to Start a Virtual Restaurant from Home: Step-by-Step Instructions

If you’ve decided to dive into the world of virtual restaurants, let’s start with the basics.

Step 1: Choose a Concept

Virtual restaurant concepts can be anything, from signature burgers to ethnic cuisine. The main thing is to make food that delivers well. Sushi, pizza, burgers, bowls — perfect options. But desserts or delicate salads may lose their appearance during delivery.

Study your competitors in your area through delivery apps. Perhaps your city lacks quality vegan lunches or authentic Asian dim sum.

Step 2: Find a Kitchen

There are several options. You can rent space in a specialized ghost kitchen. These are complexes with multiple kitchens where you share infrastructure with other brands. This is the cheapest option (from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on the city). Or arrange to rent an existing restaurant’s kitchen during off-hours (for example, in the morning when the main establishment isn’t open yet).

If you already have a restaurant, how to start a virtual restaurant becomes even simpler — use existing infrastructure to launch a second brand under a new name and menu, or you can even use the existing menu (but adapt it and remove dishes that don’t travel well for delivery).

Step 3: Create a Virtual Restaurant Business Plan

Even if you’re not planning to seek investors, a business plan will help you understand the project’s economics. Main points:

• Startup costs: equipment ($5,000 to $30,000), licenses, insurance, initial food inventory
• Monthly operating costs: kitchen rent, ingredients, salaries, delivery platform commissions (20-35% of the order!)
• Revenue forecast: how many orders per day do you expect? What’s the average check?
• Break-even point: when will the project start paying for itself?

A realistic example: $15,000 startup investment, $7,000 monthly expenses, $15 average check, need 20-25 orders per day to reach profitability.

Step 4: Set Up the Technical Side

A modern virtual restaurant is 50% technology. You’ll need:

• Order management system (POS)
• Kitchen display system (KDS)
• Integration with delivery platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub)
• Your own website with ordering capability

Instead of assembling all this separately, use specialized software for food delivery. For example, platforms like Delivety offer comprehensive solutions: POS system, menu builder, recipe editor, and optimized ordering website — all in one package. This integration saves time and reduces the risk of technical failures. Packages start from $9 per month.

Step 5: Test and Launch

Start with a soft launch. Offer dishes to friends and acquaintances, collect feedback. Adjust the menu if something doesn’t work. Only after this go to full capacity with an advertising campaign.

Tools and Strategies for a Successful Virtual Restaurant

Technology is decisive in the virtual business. Here’s what really matters:

1. Multi-platform presence: Work simultaneously with multiple aggregators. Initially, customers are loyal to platforms, not restaurants. Some people only use DoorDash, others use Uber Eats. To reach maximum audience, be present everywhere.
2. Your own ordering website: This is your strategic asset. Every order through your own site brings 25-30% more net profit. Invest in SEO, launch contextual advertising, create a loyalty program.
3. Data analytics: Which dishes are ordered most often? When is peak order time? What’s the average check? Modern POS systems collect all this data automatically. Use it to optimize your menu and purchasing.
4. Reputation management: One negative comment can cost dozens of potential customers. Respond to every review, react quickly to complaints, thank people for positive feedback.
5. Changing menu: Test new dishes every month. The virtual model allows you to experiment more easily. You can’t do that in a traditional restaurant — you’d have to train waiters on the dish components, print new menus.
6. Preparation time: Have realistic expectations and honestly indicate timing. It’s better to promise 45 minutes and deliver in 35 than vice versa.

Ideas for the Development of Virtual Restaurants

Virtual restaurants open up a wide field for experimentation. This isn’t just a “kitchen without a dining hall” format; it’s a real space for testing bold business ideas. Here are a few directions that are already showing potential:

Local Pop-Up Brands

Temporary kitchens built around seasonal events can become a real hit. Imagine a Halloween menu with “spooky” burgers or street food dedicated to Euro 2026. Pop-ups create a sense of exclusivity and drive customer interest.

Collaborations with Influencers

Partnering with famous bloggers or musicians helps quickly capture the audience’s attention. The example of MrBeast Burger proved that a single day can bring in a million orders. For local brands, this is a way to “turn on the hype” and enter new markets.

“Test Brands” for Restaurants

Traditional restaurants can trial new concepts without huge costs. For example, a pizza place launches an additional sushi or poke brand through a ghost kitchen to gauge demand. If the idea doesn’t work out, the risks are minimal.

Food Hubs in Small Towns

Opening a classic restaurant in a small town isn’t always profitable. But a virtual kitchen allows for food delivery even where the classical restaurant format wouldn’t pay off. This is a chance for brands to expand beyond major cities.

AI-Menus

Some virtual restaurants are already using artificial intelligence to analyze trends. Algorithms predict which dishes might become popular in a specific area and help curate the menu with maximum efficiency.

So How Do You Launch a Virtual Restaurant?

Opening a virtual restaurant has become a proven business model with enormous growth potential. The market continues to expand, and technology makes launching more accessible than ever.

Invest in technology from day one. A quality POS system, platform integration, and analytics will help you.

The most important advice: start small but think big. Dedicate the first months to perfecting operational processes. When the system works like clockwork — scale up.

The market is open, tools are available, demand is growing. The only thing left is to take the first step.