PepsiCo introduces new ghost kitchen capability
PepsiCo is bringing to life a new ghost kitchen capability designed to help unlock growth opportunities for foodservice partners.
The new offering will enable existing and future PepsiCo foodservice customers to seamlessly enter the bourgeoning ghost kitchen space and leverage PepsiCo's resources, as well as its portfolio of high-profile brands.
PepsiCo will harness learnings from the success of Pep's Place to introduce additional ghost kitchen menus centred around some of PepsiCo's most popular brands. Dubbed a "fast beverage" ghost kitchen Pep's Place – the first initiative under the "Better with Pepsi" campaign, paired Pepsi products with a menu of burgers, buffalo wings, sandwiches, salads and more. The virtual brand came to life in 2021 in partnership with Famous Dave's and in its first month welcomed more than three million guests through its virtual doors.
This signals a strategic expansion for PepsiCo Foodservice Digital Lab. Launched in 2019, Digital Lab is a consultancy that melds digital and technology partners with proprietary in-house innovation to provide resources and solutions for PepsiCo foodservice customers.
The consultancy offers a suite of capabilities to connect customers with the companies, services, and insights best suited for their specific digital and online needs.
"With the ghost kitchen market forecasted to reach $71.4 billion by 2027, this new Digital Lab service is aimed to aid growing off-premise needs of restaurant operators and empower them to capture the 54% of adults who view food takeout or delivery as essential to the way they live," the company said in a release. "The combination of PepsiCo's industry-leading digital capabilities, paired with its culinary know-how and beloved portfolio of brands make this an unmatched offering."
"Ghost kitchens offer foodservice operators an efficient, proven, and cost-effective way to improve kitchen profitability and overall supply-chain utilization without the burden of additional overhead and front of house operations typically associated with launching a new restaurant," adds André Moraes, senior director of marketing at PepsiCo Foodservice. "PepsiCo Foodservice leads with innovation; we are constantly seeking new opportunities to learn and modernize to bring our customers cutting-edge capabilities to fuel their growth and drive success. Digital Lab provides new and existing partners with a one-stop-shop to enter the space so they can focus on what they do best: creating delicious meals that delight consumers."
The PepsiCo Foodservice Digital Lab's new ghost kitchen offering is designed to also create a turnkey, scalable solution for customers looking to bring their flavours to new or existing markets, grow their off-premise footprint, and drive revenue. PepsiCo promises to make the process seamless for customers by packaging up best-in-class digital marketing concepts while also providing expertise on culinary creations, menu optimization, media, launch strategies and more.
This article first appeared on Convenience Store News Canada
