How to Start a Ghost Kitchen in Dubai: A Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

Ghost kitchens are special kitchens that make food only for delivery. There are no tables, chairs, or restaurants for people to eat in. Chefs cook delicious meals like burgers, pizza, wraps, rice bowls, and healthy salads. After cooking, they pack the food carefully so it stays fresh and hot. Delivery drivers then bring the meals straight to people’s homes. In Dubai, ghost kitchens are becoming very popular because many people like ordering food online. 

They are cheaper to start than regular restaurants because you don’t need a big space, waiters, or extra staff. Ghost kitchens also let owners try new food ideas and reach more customers without spending too much money. This guide will help you understand everything about ghost kitchens and show you step by step how to start a ghost kitchen in Dubai from planning your menu to managing deliveries successfully.

What Is a Ghost Kitchen and How Does It Work?

A ghost kitchen is like a hidden restaurant that works only online. It doesn’t have tables, chairs, or a space for people to eat. Instead, customers order food using apps like Talabat, Zomato, or Deliveroo. When someone orders, the message goes straight to the kitchen. The chefs cook the food fresh, pack it nicely, and a delivery driver takes it to the customer’s home. It’s simple and fast! Ghost kitchens are becoming popular because they save money. There’s no need to rent a big restaurant or hire many workers. They focus only on cooking and delivery. This smart idea fits perfectly in busy cities like Dubai, where people love using technology and prefer ordering food online instead of dining out.

Why Is It Popular in Dubai? 

Ghost kitchens are very popular in Dubai because they make food delivery easy and fast. Many people in Dubai are busy with work, school, and family, so they prefer to order food online instead of cooking or eating out. With apps like Talabat, Zomato, and Deliveroo, they can explore many restaurants, pick their favorite meals, and get them delivered right to their home. Dubai is also a city that loves new technology and modern ideas. Ghost kitchens fit perfectly with this lifestyle because they help chefs and restaurant owners start food businesses without spending money on big restaurants. They can test new dishes, reach more customers online, and grow quickly. That’s why ghost kitchens are spreading so fast across Dubai.

Types of Ghost Kitchens

Ghost kitchens can come in different styles depending on how they operate. Here are the main types explained simply:

1. Single-Brand Kitchen: This type has only one food brand, like a burger place or a pizza shop. The kitchen focuses on making just that brand’s food, which makes cooking faster and easier.

2. Shared Kitchen: In this type, several food brands share the same kitchen space. Each brand has its own area to cook, but they share big equipment like ovens or refrigerators. This helps save money because multiple brands use one kitchen.

3. Restaurant Extension: Sometimes a regular restaurant adds a delivery-only brand. For example, a sushi restaurant might start a separate online-only menu for faster delivery without affecting the main restaurant.

4. Mobile Kitchen Pod: This is a small, portable kitchen that can move to different places. It’s like a food truck but designed only for delivery. It’s great for testing new areas or reaching more customers.

Each type has its own advantages depending on the budget, location, and goals of the food business.

How to Start a Ghost Kitchen in Dubai–7 Easy Steps

Starting a ghost kitchen is a smart way to sell food online without needing a dine-in restaurant. You cook in one kitchen and deliver meals straight to customers. By following these 7 simple steps from planning your business, creating a fun food concept, and setting up your kitchen, to using tools like RestroFood and promoting online you can build a successful ghost kitchen that people love to order from!

Step 1: Make a Simple Business Plan

Before starting your ghost kitchen, it’s important to make a plan. Think of it like a recipe: it shows you exactly what to do and keeps you on track. A good plan helps you spend money wisely, make tasty food, and grow your business successfully. Here’s what to include:

1. Market Research: Find out what people in Dubai love to eat the most. Do they like burgers, pizza, healthy bowls, or desserts? Knowing what customers want helps you create a menu they will order.

2. Competitors: Check who else is selling similar food online. See what they do well and how you can do it even better. This helps you stand out from other kitchens.

3. Business Model: Decide how you will run your kitchen. Will you have your own brand, share a kitchen with others, or run multiple virtual brands? Each option has different costs and benefits.

4. Budget: List all your expenses. Think about kitchen rent, cooking equipment, ingredients, delivery boxes, and staff wages. Planning your budget helps you avoid surprises.

5. Marketing Plan: Decide how people will find your food. Will you use social media, delivery apps, or your own website? Good marketing brings more customers to your kitchen.

6. Future Goals: Think about how you want your kitchen to grow. Maybe you want to add new dishes, expand to more delivery areas, or start new virtual brands. Planning for the future keeps your business moving forward.

A clear business plan gives you a strong start, helps you make smart choices, and makes running your ghost kitchen easier and more successful.

Step 2: Create Your Food Concept and Menu

After making your plan, the next step is to decide what kind of food your ghost kitchen will serve. This is called your food concept, and it’s what makes your kitchen special and exciting for customers.

Choose a Fun Concept: Think about the type of food and the people you want to serve. Your concept should be easy to understand and fun. For example:

• “HotWingz” – perfect for people who love spicy chicken wings.
  
• “GreenBowl” – healthy salads and bowls for customers who want fresh, nutritious meals.
  
• “Midnight Meals” – tasty snacks for late-night cravings.
  

Design Your Menu: Keep your menu small at first, about 5 to 10 items. A smaller menu helps you cook food quickly and keep it consistent. Choose dishes that:

• Travel well – food should arrive hot and fresh, not soggy or messy.
  
• Are easy to cook repeatedly – you want the same taste every time.
  
• Have good profit margins – pick dishes that make more money than they cost to make.
  

Branding: Your kitchen needs a name, logo, and packaging that customers remember. A fun and clear brand makes people excited to order and helps them recognize your food on delivery apps.

Creating a strong food concept and menu makes your ghost kitchen stand out and keeps customers coming back for more.

Step 3: Find a Good Kitchen Space

Before you start cooking, you need a safe and clean kitchen where all the food will be made. In Dubai, there are several options depending on your budget and needs.

Kitchen Options:

• Rent a restaurant kitchen: Some restaurants are closed during certain hours. You can rent their kitchen during that time to cook your food.
  
• Shared kitchen: Many ghost kitchen brands share one big kitchen. It’s cheaper and easier for small businesses.
  
• Ghost kitchen hub: These are ready-to-use kitchens made just for delivery-only food businesses. They have all the equipment you need.
  
• Build your own kitchen: This costs more money but gives you full control over how your kitchen works and looks.
  

Things to Check Before Choosing a Kitchen:

• Licenses and food safety rules: Make sure your kitchen follows all Dubai Municipality rules for cooking and hygiene.
  
• Ventilation and fire safety: Proper airflow and fire extinguishers keep your kitchen safe.
  
• Delivery access: The kitchen should be easy for drivers to reach and pick up orders quickly.
  
• Location: Pick a spot close to areas where most of your customers live, like Downtown Dubai or Dubai Marina. This helps deliveries arrive faster and food stays hot and fresh.
  

Choosing the right kitchen space is important because it keeps your food safe, your staff happy, and your customers satisfied.

Step 4: Set Up Your Kitchen

Now that you have your kitchen space, it’s time to get it ready for cooking and delivery. A well-organized kitchen helps chefs work faster and keeps food fresh and tasty.

Cooking Tools You Need:

• Stove and oven: To cook hot meals like pasta, burgers, or pizza.
  
• Fryer: For crispy items like fries, nuggets, or wings.
  
• Refrigerator and freezer: To store fresh ingredients safely.
  
• Prep tables: A clean space to chop, mix, and prepare food before cooking.
  

Technology Tools:

• Tablet or computer with internet: To receive online orders quickly.
  
• POS system: This is a special device or software to manage all orders, payments, and customer information.
  

Packing Area:

• Set up a clean space for packing food neatly in boxes or bags so it stays warm and safe during delivery.
  

Safety Tools:

• Gloves and aprons: Keep food clean and staff safe.
  
• Fire extinguisher: Always have one nearby in case of accidents.
  
• Cleaning supplies: Make sure the kitchen stays tidy and hygienic.
  

Kitchen Layout:

Arrange everything in a smooth workflow: prep → cook → pack → handoff to the delivery driver. This helps the team work efficiently and makes sure customers get their food quickly and hot.

A well-set-up kitchen is the heart of a successful ghost kitchen!

Step 5: Choose the Right POS System

A POS, or Point of Sale system, is like the brain of your ghost kitchen. It helps you manage everything from orders to payments in one place, so nothing gets lost and your kitchen runs smoothly.

Why You Need a Good POS:

• Collect Orders from Different Apps: All online orders from apps like Talabat, Zomato, or Deliveroo come together in one system, so your chefs see everything at once.
  
• Track Payments Easily: It records who paid, how much, and which orders are still unpaid. This makes money management simple and accurate.
  
• See Your Best-Selling Dishes: The POS can show which foods are most popular. This helps you know what to cook more of and which items might need changes.
  
• Help with Delivery Tracking: It tells you where each order is whether it’s being cooked, packed, or out for delivery. This keeps customers happy because they know when their food will arrive.
  
• Generate Reports: You can check sales, profits, and customer trends easily, which helps you make smart decisions to grow your ghost kitchen.
  

A good POS system keeps your kitchen organized, saves time, and makes sure every order reaches the customer correctly and on time.

Step 6: Launch and Promote Your Kitchen

Once your ghost kitchen is ready, it’s time to go live and let everyone know about your delicious food. Marketing is how you tell people, “Hey, we have tasty meals for delivery!”

Smart Marketing Tips:

• Make a Website: Create a simple website where people can see your menu and order directly. This saves money because you don’t pay extra fees to delivery apps.
  
• Join Delivery Apps: Sign up on apps like Talabat, Zomato, or Deliveroo. These apps already have many users, so more people can find your food easily.
  
• Use Social Media: Share mouth-watering pictures and videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. Show behind-the-scenes cooking, new dishes, or fun promotions to attract followers.
  
• Run Ads Online: Use simple local keywords like “Best Ghost Kitchen in Dubai” or “Healthy Meals Delivery” so people searching for food can find you quickly.
  
• Offer Deals and Discounts: Give special offers for first-time orders or bundle meals into combo deals. This encourages people to try your food.
  
• Collect Reviews: Ask customers to leave ratings or comments online. Good reviews build trust and help attract new customers.
  

Promoting your ghost kitchen helps more people know about it, increasing orders and growing your business faster.

Step 7: Manage Your Daily Operations

After your ghost kitchen is open, it’s important to keep everything running smoothly every day. Managing your kitchen well helps make customers happy and keeps your business growing.

Tips for Success:

• Prep Ingredients Early: Before the lunch or dinner rush, chop vegetables, marinate meat, and get sauces ready. This makes cooking faster during busy hours.
  
• Keep the Kitchen Clean and Safe: Wash dishes, wipe counters, and sanitize surfaces often. Check that fire extinguishers and safety equipment work. A clean kitchen keeps food safe and staff healthy.
  
• Check Inventory Daily: Count your ingredients like rice, meat, sauces, and packaging. Order more before you run out so you never miss an order.
  
• Train Your Staff: Make sure everyone knows their job, from cooking to packing. Teach them how to follow recipes and work quickly without mistakes.
  
• Track Delivery Times and Customer Feedback: Keep an eye on how fast orders get delivered and read customer reviews. Fix problems quickly to make people happy.
  
• Watch Your Sales Reports: See which dishes are popular and which don’t sell well. This helps you adjust your menu and focus on food customers love.
  

Running your ghost kitchen carefully every day ensures it works like a well-oiled machine and keeps customers coming back for more.

Pros and Cons of Ghost Kitchens

Running a ghost kitchen has many advantages and a few challenges. Let’s look at both sides so you can understand how it works.

Pros (Good Things):

• Cheaper to Start: You don’t need tables, chairs, or a big restaurant space. This saves money on rent and staff.
  
• Easy to Grow: You can start small and later add more food brands or expand to new delivery areas.
  
• Multiple Brands in One Kitchen: One kitchen can cook for several online restaurants at the same time. This makes it easier to try new ideas.
  
• Perfect for Dubai: People love quick delivery, busy lifestyles, and trying new foods. Ghost kitchens fit this lifestyle perfectly.
  

Cons (Challenges):

• No Dine-In Experience: Customers don’t come to eat at your place, so they don’t see your brand in person.
  
• Harder to Build Connections: Since people never visit, you need other ways to make them feel loyal to your brand.
  
• Technology Is Essential: You must use apps, POS systems, and online tools to take orders and track deliveries.
  
• Strong Online Marketing Needed: To get noticed, you have to promote your food on social media, apps, and websites.
  

Ghost kitchens can be a smart way to run a food business if you plan carefully and use the right tools for cooking, delivery, and marketing.

How to Create Your Own Online Ordering and Delivery System for a Ghost Kitchen with RestroFood?

Running a ghost kitchen means you cook food for delivery only, no dining tables needed!
To manage everything online, you can use RestroFood, a smart tool that turns your WordPress website into a full food ordering and delivery system.

Here’s how you can set it up step by step

Step 1: Add WooCommerce and RestroFood

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard (your website control room).
   
2. Go to Plugins → Add New and search for WooCommerce. Install and activate it  this helps you sell food online like an online shop.
   
3. Next, search for RestroFood, install, and activate it.
   
   • RestroFood helps you add your food menu, take online orders, and manage deliveries all in one place!
     

Step 2: Set Up RestroFood for Your Kitchen

1. Go to the RestroFood tab on your dashboard.
   
2. Add your ghost kitchen details like name, address, phone number, and opening hours.
   
3. Create your food menu with pictures, categories, and extras like sauces or toppings.
   
4. Set up payment options where you can accept PayPal, Stripe, or cash on delivery.
   
5. Choose your delivery areas (like Downtown Dubai or Dubai Marina) and add delivery fees.
   

Step 3: Manage Orders and Deliveries Easily

• Use the order dashboard to see all orders in real time, what’s cooking, what’s ready, and what’s being delivered.
  
• Assign tasks to kitchen staff and delivery drivers.
  
• Send customers order updates (like “Your food is on the way!”).
  This keeps everyone happy and helps things run smoothly.
  

Bonus Add-Ons for Your Ghost Kitchen

You can add extra RestroFood tools to make your ghost kitchen even better:

• RestroFood POS System: Manage walk-in or call orders easily.
  
• RestroFood Multibranch: Run more than one ghost kitchen from one dashboard.
  
• Multi Delivery Fees: Charge different delivery fees for different areas.
  
• Auto Invoice Printing: Print order receipts automatically.
  
• In-Restaurant Orders: Useful if you later open a dine-in space.
  
• RestroFood Tips: Let happy customers add tips easily.
  

Extra Features to Boost Your Kitchen

• Offer discounts and promo codes to attract customers.
  
• Use multiple languages if you serve people from different countries in Dubai.
  
• Set meal times (like lunch and dinner slots) for better order management.
  
• Connect to WooCommerce reports to track your best-selling meals.
  

Why Use RestroFood for Your Ghost Kitchen?

RestroFood helps you run your ghost kitchen like a pro from taking orders to delivering hot food fast.
You don’t need to know coding or hire developers. Just install it, set it up, and start cooking! 

It’s perfect for ghost kitchens in Dubai that want to save time, reduce costs, and grow their online food business easily.

What is Cloud Kitchen?

A cloud kitchen (also called a ghost or virtual kitchen) is a restaurant that cooks food only for delivery, no dining area, just a professional kitchen. Customers order online through apps like Talabat, Deliveroo, Zomato, or your own website with RestroFood, and delivery drivers bring the food straight to their homes.

Cloud kitchens are popular in Dubai because they cost less to run, don’t need front-of-house staff, and can even run multiple food brands from one kitchen. To start, choose a clear food concept, create an easy-to-deliver menu, pick a good kitchen location, get the necessary licenses, set up cooking tools and tech, hire staff, and promote your brand online.

Running a cloud kitchen requires careful daily management to keep the kitchen clean, track orders, and ensure fresh packaging. Setup costs range from AED 50,000–100,000+, with monthly expenses for rent, staff, and marketing. With smart planning and technology, it’s a fast, fun, and profitable way to run a modern food business in Dubai.

📖 Read the full guide on our blog “How to Start a Cloud Kitchen in Dubai: A Complete Guide” to learn every step and tips to start your own cloud kitchen!

Ghost Kitchen vs Cloud Kitchen:

Ghost kitchens and cloud kitchens are both special types of kitchens that cook food only for delivery. They don’t have dine-in areas, but there are some key differences in how they operate, the number of brands they serve, and their costs. Let’s compare them in a simple way.

Feature	Ghost Kitchen	Cloud Kitchen
What it is	Kitchen that makes food only for delivery	Kitchen that makes food for delivery, often shared by many brands
Eat-in	No tables, no dine-in	No tables, no dine-in
Customer contact	No direct contact	No direct contact
Brand	Usually 1 food brand	Can have many food brands
Cost	Medium – depends on kitchen	Medium to low – sharing saves money
Focus	Cooking and delivery only	Cooking, delivery, and managing multiple brands
Good things	Cheaper, quick setup, easy to start	Save money, share equipment, try more brands
Hard things	No diners, need good marketing	Need teamwork, tech is important

Final Thoughts

Starting a ghost kitchen in Dubai is a smart and exciting way to run your own food business. You don’t need a big restaurant, just a clean kitchen, tasty food, and a plan. Ghost kitchens focus on cooking and delivery, making it faster and cheaper than traditional restaurants. Using tools like Restrofood, you can take orders online, manage deliveries, and see which dishes are most popular. With a clear menu, good branding, and smart marketing, your food can reach many customers across the city. Start small, keep things simple, and grow step by step. With dedication and the right tools, your ghost kitchen can become a tasty success in Dubai!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)