Someone preparing supper while you shop for groceries would be fantastic.
A recent crossover between fast food and supermarket businesses has made this choice available to thousands of Kroger consumers.
The supermarket company, which started using ghost kitchens during the epidemic, aims to deploy them to other stores.
"Mix Food Halls" will open in Columbus, Ohio, later this month. New food options are coming to Gahanna, Clintonville, and Dublin Krogers.
In conjunction with Kitchen United, Kroger will add at least six of 10 food franchises to each store, including
Nathan's Famous, Hardee's, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Nékter Juice Bar, and Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.
"We are continually searching for new and interesting methods to assist our consumers answer 'what's for supper tonight?'"
"The relationship with Kitchen United is unique since clients can get a restaurant-quality dinner while shopping for fresh food and pantry necessities."
Kroger consumers may use digital kiosks or Mix Food Hall's website or app to place orders. Food from several restaurants can only be ordered through Kitchen United.
The first ghost kitchen will open in Gahanna on Nov. 7, with Clintonville and Dublin's slated for late November.
In January, Kroger and Kitchen United opened a food hall at a Ralph's in Los Angeles, followed by two more in Houston and Dallas.
Kitchen United isn't Kroger's only ghost kitchen partner. The supermarket piloted a meal-delivery service with ClusterTruck in 2019.
After deciding to stop it, the corporations created two in-store ghost kitchens in Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, in 2020.