ghost kitchen

American  

[gohst kich-uhn] / ˈgoʊst ˌkɪtʃ ən /

noun

1. a commercial facility that prepares and cooks restaurant-style food for delivery directly to customers or to one or more dine-in restaurants.

   Your order may have been cooked in a low-grade, or even totally unregulated, ghost kitchen.

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Etymology

Origin of ghost kitchen

First recorded in 2015–20

Example Sentences

Charlie opens a ghost kitchen and insists on being called “chef,” his apron knotted tight like he’s about to sear duck breast instead of, say, boil milksteak.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2025

The result was an explosion in the growth of the so-called ghost kitchen and its close cousin, the virtual brand, or a restaurant that has no physical space and operates online only.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2024

He started a ghost kitchen in Queens called Pecking House based on five-spice-seasoned fried chicken generously basted with Tianjin chile oil — ingredients in his family’s Chinese restaurant pantry.

From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2023

Due to displacement from the Sept. 17 fire, he’s been operating out of a ghost kitchen in Hawthorne, taking orders via phone and Instagram DM, and delivering across L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2022

“What seems to be lacking is a very clear banking and financial layer to support the ... ghost kitchen industry,” said Meyer.

From Reuters • Apr. 5, 2022