A Miami woman has gone viral after sharing a video while picking up an Uber Eats order. That’s because when she arrived to pick up her food, she found that the restaurant didn’t have a brick-and-mortar location.
In the viral TikTok video with more than 54,900 views, the creator Kelley Flanagan (@kelleyflanagan) explained that she drove to the pickup address expecting a typical restaurant. Instead, she found a long commercial building with Munch Lab signage and no obvious storefront.
Where was the restaurant?
After arriving at the address listed in the app, Flanagan searched for the restaurant. Then she realized there wasn’t one.
Instead of a dining room, counter or visible kitchen, she found a touchscreen mounted on a wall. The screen featured a large selection of food brands and menus. Viewers could see everything from kebabs and breakfast burritos to dumplings, hibachi dishes and desserts.
Unsure of what to do, she pressed the button for the restaurant she ordered from and gave her name to the person who answered. A short time later, someone came downstairs and handed her the order.
The unusual experience left many viewers wondering where the food was actually being prepared. Others made speculations on what was really going on.
“I think it’s people with restaurant ideas who share a commercial kitchen,” said one viewer.
“I order from Yubi Box Sushi all the time. They are also there,” said another commenter.
Many came to the consensus that this appeared to be a ghost kitchen or virtual restaurant.
What is a ghost kitchen or virtual restaurant?
According to Uber Eats’ merchant website, the two terms are similar but not identical.
A ghost kitchen is specifically for preparing food for delivery and pickup orders. It typically has no dining room and may house multiple food brands under one roof.
A virtual restaurant, on the other hand, is a delivery-only brand that operates out of an existing restaurant kitchen. Customers see a different restaurant name in the app, even though the food may come from a business they already know.
In both cases, customers may order from what appears to be a standalone restaurant online without realizing the food is being prepared elsewhere.
Why are there so many food brands in one building?
The Munch Lab location appeared to offer dozens of food concepts from a single address.
That setup is common in the ghost kitchen industry. One kitchen can prepare food for multiple brands, allowing operators to sell different cuisines without opening separate restaurants.
The concept became increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as delivery orders surged. Some restaurants found that delivery-only concepts could be highly profitable. According to DoorDash, Scaffidi Restaurant Group reported a 1,850% increase in monthly delivery orders after partnering with DoorDash during the pandemic. The success later inspired the company to launch a delivery-only chicken wing brand.
As a result, many restaurant operators began creating virtual restaurants and ghost kitchen concepts designed specifically for delivery customers. These virtual restaurants show up on Uber Eats, DoorDash and other food delivery platforms.
Why do some people call ghost kitchens controversial?
Supporters view ghost kitchens as a practical way for restaurants to adapt to changing customer habits. Critics argue that customers are not always aware of where their food is coming from.
A 2022 report from The Independent described some virtual restaurant listings as a potential “bait and switch.” The publication highlighted concerns that customers may believe they are ordering from unique local restaurants when multiple listings actually operate out of the same kitchen.
The article also noted that some consumers felt misled after discovering that several seemingly unrelated restaurant brands shared a single address or parent company. Critics have argued that greater transparency would help customers make more informed choices when ordering food online.
The concerns became significant enough that Uber Eats previously removed thousands of duplicate or low-quality virtual restaurant listings from its platform in an effort to improve the customer experience.
What did viewers think?
Many viewers said the video helped explain something they had noticed while using food delivery apps.
Others said they had encountered similar situations and were not surprised to learn that multiple restaurant brands can operate from the same location.
“I do Uber Eats and Denny’s has three different types of food. And they prepare food at Denny under different corp names,” said one user.
Not everyone shared positive experiences, however.
“I ordered Uber Eats in Miami from a restaurant and it never came,” one viewer said.
Several commenters said they had no idea ghost kitchens existed before watching the video, while others debated whether delivery apps should do more to identify virtual restaurants and shared kitchens.
Was the food any good?
Despite her confusion, the creator seemed to approve of the experience. Her biggest complaint was that she received cold food, not the unusual pickup process.
For many viewers, the most surprising part of the video was learning that some of the restaurants they order from online may not exist as traditional restaurants at all.
Buzz News reached out to Flanagan via Instagram direct message.
