More than 10% of the offering: Ghost kitchens haunt delivery platforms

An investigation by journalism students from IHECS, published in the newspaper Le Soir, identified 388 ghost kitchens in Brussels alone, this concept of professional kitchens dedicated to delivery.

© Eiliv Aceron / Unsplash

By examining the offerings of the three main delivery platforms, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Takeaway, an investigation published by Le Soir identified 5,682 partner establishments in Brussels and Wallonia. Among these, 594 ghost kitchens were identified.

More than a third of these virtual restaurants belong to chains and operate under the franchise model, like Taster (2017) and Yu.Eat (2019), which together own 70 "brands" in the two regions studied.

Taster notably launched the virtual brand Starsmash (smash burgers) in partnership with YouTuber Maxime Chabroud (aka Amixem - 9.3 million subscribers) and Pepe Chicken with fellow content creator Charles Gilles-Compagnon (aka FastGoodCuisine - 7.4 million subscribers). To put this phenomenon into perspective within Belgium, food delivery is becoming increasingly ingrained in consumer habits: 43% of Brussels households order every month , compared to 26% in Flanders and 24% in Wallonia. But our data has already revealed striking regional disparities. The most telling example? Knokke has an average order value of €63.47 . That's four times higher than the average in Brussels-Centre, which is capped at €15.80.

The "Russian doll" restaurant

The investigation published in Le Soir highlights that three-quarters of the virtual businesses identified are based in the kitchens of brick-and-mortar restaurants. Owners of existing restaurants can choose to create a "ghost kitchen" to reach new customers through delivery platforms. This allows them to increase their revenue without drastically increasing their operating costs.

In addition to offering a favorable risk/benefit ratio for restaurant owners, these kitchens are flexible and adaptable to many markets. Furthermore, the startup cost of a virtual restaurant is significantly lower than that of a traditional establishment.

A deceptively simple concept

Every coin has two sides, and it is important to point out the disadvantages of this concept, also known as dark kitchen, namely the dependence on delivery platforms and their prohibitive commission rates of 15 to 30%, as noted in our industry report Unlock the future of Food Delivery in Belgium (2025).

“One of the striking characteristics of the Belgian food delivery market is the sharp increase in the total price of orders: a meal that would cost €20 in a restaurant can reach €29 when delivered, once the platform fees and the restaurant margin are taken into account. That is a 45% markup for a service that often offers a less satisfying experience than eating in the restaurant,” warned Amaury Marescaux, CEO of Gondola Foodservice, highlighting a crucial aspect of consumer price sensitivity.