The next revolution of the restaurant industry has arrived: digital platforms are providing opportunity to operators allowing them to increase revenue by maximizing unused kitchen space. On this episode of Ghost Kitchen Trends podcast, I chat with Bob Pascal, chief revenue officer at Franklin Junction to take a deep dive into the growing trend of virtual brands.

Pascal breaks down ghost kitchens vs. Franklin Junction’s host kitchen model, he says, “I describe a ghost kitchen as simply a commissary focused exclusively on the delivery channel so often a big kitchen or a series of little kitchens, with no dining room and in many cases that means a new build. So let's contrast that with our host kitchen model which is centered on the kitchen of an existing restaurant, that we in turn empower to prepare meals on behalf of other additional brands in order to capture incremental delivery revenue and in my experience you know a lot of restaurants in the community view ghost kitchens as a threat whereas becoming a host kitchen is seen often as a real opportunity.”

I asked Pascal about trademarking the term host kitchen and he said, “host kitchen really captured what we were setting out to do in supporting all restaurants growth.”

Franklin Junction’s platform and strategy is to build a network to deliver profitable restaurant growth connecting or matching restaurants to their roster of brands to unlock incremental profits. Pascal says about their partner brands, that they are existing brands with strong systems in place that are looking to expand their sales footprint, brands like Dickey’s Barbecue and Fuzzy’s Taco.

To hear what Pascal has to say about profit margins for operators, first party vs. third party delivery and what the future holds for Franklin Junction, listen to this episode of Ghost Kitchen Trends.