The restaurant industry is undergoing a transformation with the rise of cloud kitchens. Modern cloud kitchens are meeting the demands of technology, enhancing customer experience, and streamlining the supply chain.
Also called virtual kitchens or ghost kitchens, starting up a food brand from scratch is easier when the cloud kitchen model is adopted.
Why?
Because no investment is required to build, rent, renovate and maintain a physical outlet or dine-in option. Customers can merely choose their favorite cloud kitchen and have their food delivered via online delivery platforms.
Costs are reduced by a large margin and more newcomers, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs have been able to step foot in this business, widen their reach, and start their successful cloud kitchen business startup.
Top Startups Focused on Cloud Kitchen
In this article, we will look at some of the top cloud kitchens active and running across the country.
1. Faasos
Perhaps one of the most popular cloud kitchens you will be familiar with – is Fasoos. The startup falls under one of the largest cloud kitchen companies in the country. Faasos is operational and active in around 15 states across India. It took about 7 years for the co-founders to lay the foundation of the business. The idea from the very beginning was to start and run a hyperlocal cloud kitchen-based company. The parent company, Rebel Foods, also offers its in-house facilities to similar virtual kitchen brands, including Faasos.
Founded In: 2011
Founded by: Jaydeep Burman, Kallol Banerjee
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Swiggy, Wolt, Just Eat Holding, and Deliveroo
2. Box8
Keeping up with local preferences and adhering to the unique Indian identity and cuisine, Box8 promotes the idea of ‘keeping it desi’ in their cloud-kitchen business model as well as food.
That of course doesn’t mean you can’t find foreign cuisine and dishes here. Roti to lasagnas, rasgullas to icecreams, Box8 has it all for you. The startup company currently is based primarily in the capital region, Delhi in India but it is fast spreading its reach across other parts of the country.
Founded In: 2012
Founded by: Anshul Gupta, Amit Raj
Industry: Food Delivery, Cloud Kitchen
Competitors: Subway, Dominos, Zomato, and Swiggy
3. Kitchens@
Kitchens@ recently came up in the news when it announced its merger with Delhi-based Kitchens Centers. The startup is one of the frontrunners in the cloud-kitchen space. Given its strength in culinary operations and technology expertise, its expansion model appears to be a major success, especially with the merger.
Currently, the Bangalore-based company is owned by Loyal Hospitality and has around 350 kitchens across 12 hubs. In 2019, the startup bought back its shares of Zomato after securing initial seed capital from the delivery giant.
Founded In: 2018
Founded by: Kizhakkayil
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Curefood & FoodPanda
Headquarters: Bangalore
4. Behrouz Biryani
The name of the company itself has a history that is 2000 years old. The iconic Biryani recipe that traces its roots from the Persian kingdom of Behrouz is widely famous for its taste, essence, and the link to its rich past and culture. Behrouz Biryani is a cloud kitchen-based company that offers you the famous dish about their name as well as other famed Biryani types as well such as Dum Gosht Biryani and Murg Tikka Biryani.
Founded In: 2015
Founded by: Jaydeep Barman – Parent Company owner of Rebel Foods
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Biryani by Kilo, Zomato, and Swiggy
5. Sweet Truth
Although traditional Indian sweets still enjoy a wide market, deserts, international confectionery, and sweets and chocolates have seen a tenfold increase in popularity. There may have been a reason for this to do with globalization, acceptance of international cuisine, and desire to try something new, which Sweet Truth has managed to tap into very well.
This brand campaign is the result of Rebel Food’s partnership with Wunderman Thompson South Asia to sell desserts and sweets that are both delicious and attractive to the consumer.
Founded In: 2015
Founded by: Jaydeep Barman
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Sweetooth, Swiggy & Zomato
6. Zomato
When it comes to online food delivery platforms, Zomato comes at the top. Perhaps, what we might not know is its widely successful cloud-based kitchen business as well. Previously known as Foodiebay, Zomato currently counts around and above 6500 restaurants as its partners in major cities of the country.
About 2.3 lakh delivery executives make sure the food you order reaches your doorstep on time. Currently, the net worth of Zomato is above 3 billion USD.
Founded In: 2010
Founded by: Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Swiggy, DoorDash & Faasos
7. Swiggy
As one of the most successful cloud kitchen-based businesses, Swiggy stands out. Since the foundation of the company, it has marked its presence with well over 1000 cloud kitchens.
You can avail of Swiggy services in almost all major cities of India, given it has more than 15,000 restaurants as partners. Another figure to prove its current success is its net worth, which currently stands around 3.6 billion USD.
Founded In: August 2014
Founded by: Nandan Reddy and Sriharsha Majety
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Zomato, Fasoos & FoodPanda
8. TravelKhana
A cloud kitchen that delivers fresh food exclusively to passengers riding on the Indian railway. Order it from your phone at the platform, or railway station and you can even get it delivered right to your seat.
TravelKhana has become widely popular and well-loved around the country, where millions travel each day by train for work, travel, and pleasure. Currently, the virtual kitchen business has around 1,200 vendors active on its platform.
Founded In: 2012
Founded by: Pushpinder Singh
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: RailRestro, Talabat, OrderUp & RailMitra
9. Oven Story
Who doesn’t love pizza? The famous Italian delicacy comes in various forms and flavors and you can get them delivered all to your doorstep with Oven Story.
It is a cloud-kitchen-based company that creates and delivers varieties of pizzas to its customers. Oven Story’s parent company is the famous online restaurant enterprise – Rebel Foods. According to its CEO, Jaydeep Barman, Oven Story generates around 140 crore revenue in a single year.
Founded In: 2015
Founded by: Jaydeep Barman
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: FreshMenu, Box8 & Biryani By Kilo
10. Biryani By Kilo
In Indian culture, a kilo is a common measurement of weight when it comes to food. And who doesn’t want Biryani by Kilo arriving at their doorstep? So is the name of the company and its ability to tap into the hearts of Biryani lovers, Biryani by Kilo offers a wide range of delicacies, Kebabs, and of course, Biryanis to choose from and presents your dish before you in a true native earthen bowl to heighten taste and experience?
Founded In: 2015
Founded by: Kaushik Roy & Vishal Jindal
Industry: Online Food Ordering, Foodtech
Competitors: Behrouz Biryani, Swiggy & Zomato
Room for improvement and innovation exists in the cloud kitchen space. And these startups are putting all their efforts to scale up smartly to meet the demands and expectations of customers.
Kitchen automation, streamlining supply chain issues, placing local preferences forward, and promoting guest experience are some of the key areas where cloud kitchen businesses are focusing on at present. In such a startup business, moving forward shouldn’t be about moving fast, but rather about moving smartly.
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