The Parisian lover of street food and home delivery will undoubtedly have spotted the Dévor brand on the dedicated applications. If these tasty hamburgers are displayed on Uber Eats and Deliveroo, it is a small anonymous shop with a black front that awaits the curious at 36, rue Cambronne, the address of the “restaurant”. Inside, not a table, not a customer, no flashy decor to lure the customer. And for good reason: the Dévor franchise – owned by the Panorama group – is one of the first “dark kitchen” brands to appear in France.
Forced to cook exclusively take-out meals during the confinements put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, some restaurateurs have decided to continue the experience by developing an offer dedicated to home delivery. Like Devour. On the menu, standardized and easy-to-assemble dishes, adapted to the constraints of delivery in fifteen minutes and to the tastes of young customers: such as hamburgers, pizzas or other gyozas.
A still marginal model, according to Bernard Boutboul, the president of the Gira firm. He estimates between 600 and 700 the number of dark kitchens established in France, concentrated in large cities and tertiary employment areas.. But what interest, for a restaurateur, to do without a room? “It is much more profitable, explains this specialist. A dark kitchen does not need a “top location”. It can rent premises in the basement or in a parallel street. » These “virtual restaurants” are also an opportunity for a well-established brand to test a new dish or concept by offering it only for delivery. The other side of the coin for the participating establishments: the commissions charged by the delivery platforms, “around 28 to 30%”believes Bernard Boutboul, and an increased dependence on these applications in terms of visibility.
Up to 12 kitchens in one place
Other players wanted to surf on this business, this time as lessors specializing in the rental of kitchens for catering professionals. This is the case of Kitch’n box, established in ten cities in France. Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick also launched his kitchen rental network, dubbed CloudKitchens. With thousands of restaurateurs in their address book, delivery platforms are also starting to rent them kitchen spaces shared between restaurateurs. Deliveroo has 4 of these “culinary coworking” sites in Ile-de-France, one in Bordeaux and one in Lille, which include 8 to 12 kitchens each. “Each site is chosen and opened with the agreement of the municipalities”, argues a spokesperson for Deliveroo.
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