Online platforms, especially online retail sector which is fueled by changing tastes and availability of a variety of products, has grown exponentially. The food delivery sector in particular has grown and expanded so fast, that it has spawned a whole new business model bringing together established restaurants and fast food outlets and delivery service providers through tech builders who provide an online platform .

And this is where Uber Eats Kenya found itself this June, as it marked four years in the country, and facing the rise and growth of ‘’ghost kitchens,’’ as the food delivery space expands, forcing it to experiment with incorporating such kitchens as partners in their business plan.

A ”ghost kitchen” is a professional food preparation or cooking facility set up to supply delivery-only meals and they are also known as a dark kitchen or a cloud or virtual kitchen.

“Virtual or dark kitchens are rising in popularity globally, and many consumers are enjoying their services because they tend to offer new and more varieties of food than established restaurants or fast food outlets. They are basically e-restaurants or kitchens designed for the sole purpose of churning out food for delivery. They don’t tend to have a shopfront or dining-in restaurant version,” said Kui Mbugua, the general manager of Uber Eats Kenya. They are just kitchens.