Food & Beverage

Kitchen United adds 2nd Chicago location

Photo: iStock

January 26, 2021

Pasadena, California-based virtual kitchen company, Kitchen United, has signed its second lease agreement in Chicago, as the company continues to execute its expansion plans. The North Wells Street kitchen is in the center of the Windy City in the area known as The Loop, a news release said.

Fittingly, the surrounding area is filled with digital workers and takes residence in the former Well St. Market food hall. The reinvented commercial space will house 10 kitchens arranged throughout the property in a similar format to food halls, and will have one central order and pickup area in the middle of the space. The location will eventually open indoor and outdoor seating. Kitchen United has dubbed this type of venue a MIX location.

"Chicago has been incredibly welcoming to the Kitchen United brand, and we're excited to bolster our presence in the city following the successful establishment of our kitchen center in River North in 2018," CEO Michael Montagano, said in the release. "Kitchen United MIX at Wacker & Wells will support a seamless to-go experience for consumers seeking ultimate convenience and optionality. Further, we look forward to supporting beloved restaurant brands looking to take advantage of the continued boom in off-premise business through our capital-light opportunity that will enable them to grow with minimal upfront costs and lower risk."

Kitchen United MIX offers consumers the opportunity to batch orders from different restaurant concepts, which the company said circumvents some of the problems that develop when everyone wants something different to eat in a particular dining party. Orders can be mixed and matched to meet one person's cravings for Chinese food, while another can get pizza all on the same ticket.

The company's kiosk ordering tech and website facilitate takeout orders, while third-party delivery makes that option a possibility, too, Kitchen United said.

Brands such as Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, and Smokey Bones partner with Kitchen United at its North Sedgwick location in Chicago, with operator brands employing their own staff to work in the shared kitchen space. Kitchen United staff handles tasks such as trash removal and distributing orders to customers and delivery personnel.

The nearly 4-year-old company also has MIX locations in Pasadena, along with Scottsdale, Arizona and Austin, Texas.