DoorDash has opened its first virtual food hall and ghost kitchen in Brooklyn see what it's like to eat there

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• Doordash opened its first DoorDash Kitchens location in New York City in early May.
• The new location combines a virtual food hall with a ghost kitchen which will service parts of Brooklyn.

Doordash has opened a third ghost kitchen, this time in New York City.

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Source: Insider

But unlike its California-based predecessors, the delivery platform's latest Doordash Kitchens has a twist: it's half-ghost kitchen, half-public food hall.

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The new location represents the next evolution of ghost kitchens by integrating dine-in seating areas, a strategy Kitchen United and Travis Kalanick's CloudKitchens' have employed as well.

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Before this, ghost kitchens — created to target the growing food delivery segment — often never saw their hungry customers.

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But the cooking facilities no longer have to be a mysterious place where your meal gets magically prepared before being whisked away to your home.

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Now, ghost kitchens similar to Doordash's new location can be a place to work out of, grab a quick lunch, and eat with friends.

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The company's new Brooklyn-based endeavor— which opened its doors in early May — is the third Doordash Kitchens location and its first outside of California.

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It's also the first Doordash Kitchens with plenty of dine-in seats for hungry customers, creating a flexible "delivery forward food hall" for customers who want to order and eat on-site.

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Source: Insider

To create this flexible space, Doordash partnered with New York-based commercial-kitchen company Nimbus, which leased the 9,500-square-foot Downtown Brooklyn space in May 2021.

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Doordash manages the deliveries, pickups, and "relationships with restaurant partners," Ruth Isenstadt, Doordash Kitchens' senior director, told Insider in an email interview.

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Nimbus then oversees the real estate and maintenance while supplying the kitchen facilities with adequate equipment ...

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... while the restaurants manage their own cooking operations.

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Isenstadt predicts most of the orders going through the new Doordash Kitchens will be eaten off-site …

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… as the new location was created to service surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods like Gowanus, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, and Dumbo.

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The new Doordash Kitchens may be "delivery forward," but the dine-in space is still large enough to accommodate plenty of hungry people passing by.

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If you haven't visited this virtual food hall, picture a long room with large windows, ample seating, and wall-mounted touchscreens that replace the presence of cashiers and food stalls.

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Unlike a traditional food hall, the site doesn't have multiple food stands with large menus.

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Instead, the restaurants' footprints are all condensed into the three touchscreen kiosks. And the kitchens are hidden behind a wall so you'll never see your food being prepared in front of you.

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To any unknowing visitor, the Brooklyn Doordash Kitchens may look like a large coffee shop.

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When you enter, you're immediately greeted by the three touchscreens in front of you and a coffee shop counter to your right.

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To your left, you'll see a long room full of seating like a countertop with barstools and views of the street …

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… a multi-seat communal table …

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… and tables with booth-style seating.

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Creating and picking up your order is as seamless as any virtual food hall.

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Because the location relies on self-serving kiosks, ordering and paying is done virtually.

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There's no need to make small talk with a cashier or waitstaff.

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All you have to do is select the restaurant and your order, pay using the payment pad …

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… and wait until someone behind the counter calls your name to pick up your meal.

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You can take a seat for a quick meal and a coffee or bring your takeout elsewhere.

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If you're a picky eater, you're in luck. Several of the restaurants in operation at Doordash Kitchens are recognizable to any food-loving New Yorker.

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And the selection is somewhat diverse, giving even the finickiest dine-in visitor plenty of options.

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The location currently houses Little Caesars, modern sushi restaurant Domodomo, popular Chinese-American spot Kings Co. Imperial …

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… chicken-and-biscuit joint Pies 'n Thighs (shown below), Korean-American bowl concept Moonbowls …

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… famed dessert store Milk Bar, pastries from Kado Patisri, and a Birch coffee shop.

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These restaurants are "all highly regarded" in the city but several of them couldn't service the Downtown Brooklyn area from their previous locations in Manhattan or North Brooklyn, according to Isenstadt.

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By using Doordash Kitchens' new facility, these restaurants can now serve more customers and test local demand without opening a new storefront.

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Of course, it wouldn't be a ghost kitchen without a robust delivery system.

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Doordash delivery workers, known as "Dashers," pick up their orders from a window in a separate space next to the food hall.

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Separating the window from the dine-in half of Doordash Kitchens expedites the order pickup process, Isenstadt said …

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… which is crucial for a space that'll likely see more delivery than dine-in orders.

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"The community plays an important role in the success of Doordash Kitchens and we've been thrilled to see customers stopping by to support the restaurant partners operating in this location," Isenstadt said.

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