Ghost kitchen brands in the U.S. have gone through a dramatic shakeout since the pandemic, and the companies still standing look very different from the ones that launched five years ago.
This article breaks down who the major players are, how they operate, where they're hiring and what career paths they actually offer hospitality professionals on both sides of the table.
How Ghost Kitchen Brands Became a Billion-Dollar Sector
Ghost kitchen brands in the U.S. exploded during COVID-19, when dine-in restrictions pushed operators toward delivery-only models almost overnight.
By 2026, the initial frenzy has settled, but the companies that survived are operating at genuine scale.
The global market tells the bigger story. Valued at approximately $58.61 billion in 2022, the ghost kitchen sector is on track to nearly triple by 2032.
In the U.S. specifically, IBISWorld counts 7,606 ghost kitchen businesses, and North America commands roughly 31.7% of the global market share.
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CloudKitchens: The Biggest Name in Virtual Kitchen Real Estate
CloudKitchens is the 800-pound gorilla.
Founded in 2016 by Travis Kalanick, the company operates as a "kitchens-as-a-service" provider, leasing turnkey cooking spaces to restaurant operators who want delivery revenue without a second brick-and-mortar location.
The company raised over $1.3 billion in funding, including an $850 million round in 2021 that valued it at $15 billion.
Want to go deeper on ghost kitchen career data? Check out OysterLink's guide to the top U.S. cities for ghost kitchen jobs.
Ghost Kitchens International and the Walmart Strategy
Ghost Kitchens International (GKI), formerly Ghost Kitchen Brands, took a route nobody else tried: opening delivery kitchens inside Walmart stores.
By 2026, the company has expanded to locations in Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Texas and New York, and it rebranded as Ghost Kitchens International in mid-2024 as it launched European operations.
REEF Technology: From Parking Lots to Kitchen Platforms
REEF Technology's story is one of the stranger pivots in food-service history.
The company started as ParkJockey, a parking lot management firm, before rebranding and converting underused urban parking spaces into multi-purpose logistics hubs.
Backed by over $1 billion from SoftBank's Vision Fund and other investors, REEF once seemed poised to become the WeWork of ghost kitchens.
The company has since shifted toward a platform model, handing off day-to-day kitchen operations to partner operators while focusing on technology and logistics.
C3 and the Virtual Brand Portfolio Approach
C3 (Creating Culinary Communities) is the brainchild of Sam Nazarian, the hospitality executive behind sbe Entertainment Group.
Rather than renting kitchen space, C3 built a portfolio of its own virtual restaurant brands (names like Umami Burger, Krispy Rice) and distributed them through hotel kitchens.
The company rebranded as EveryBody Eats and has been pushing the so-called "omnichannel food", blending delivery, in-person dining at food hall concepts like Citizens.
What Ghost Kitchen Jobs Actually Look Like in 2026
The job landscape across ghost kitchen brands in the U.S. is broader than most candidates expect.
Entry-level roles include Line Cooks, Prep Cooks and Kitchen Helpers - standard titles, but the work itself differs from a traditional restaurant.
Ghost kitchen staff often cook for multiple brands simultaneously, which means mastering several menus and managing rapid ticket switches between, say, a pizza concept and an Asian bowl brand.
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OysterLink's ghost kitchen statistics and facts page compiles startup costs, profit margins and market projections from Statista, IBISWorld and other credible industry sources.
Why Some Virtual Kitchen Companies Failed (and What Survived)
Not every ghost kitchen brand made it through the post-pandemic correction.
- Kitchen United, once a promising shared-kitchen operator backed by partnerships with Kroger, announced plans to shut down.
- CloudKitchens went through a round of layoffs.
- REEF closed facilities and pivoted away from direct operations.
The common thread among the failures was overexpansion during a period of artificially inflated delivery demand.
The companies that endured share a few traits:
- Diversified revenue
- Strong brand portfolios
- Willingness to restructure quickly.
For hospitality professionals weighing a career in this space, the lesson is to evaluate a company's business model durability — not just its brand count or funding total.
How Established Chains Are Using Ghost Kitchen Models
Ghost kitchens aren't just for startups. Major restaurant brands (Wendy's, Applebee's, Denny's) have all launched virtual brand extensions through ghost kitchen partnerships.
For hospitality workers at these chains, the ghost kitchen extension can mean new roles without a job change.
This hybrid model is increasingly common and represents a practical middle ground between traditional restaurants and pure-play ghost kitchens.
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