Ghost kitchens are kitchens without dining rooms, culinary concepts designed for delivery, most never becoming a bricks-and-mortar destination for diners.
Employment in restaurant and food service jobs is down about 2.5 million since February. Estimates are that 20% to 25% of independently owned restaurants will never reopen.
The whole idea is that a single kitchen can produce food for a variety of “restaurants”. These kitchens can be in urban warehouses containing multiple small kitchens leased by a restaurant or restaurant’s subcontractor for delivery only.
It is estimated that there are at least 1,500 ghost kitchens in the United States.
Washington D.C. has at least one Ghost Kitchen.
It is Ghost Line DC at 2340 Wisconsin, across from what was the Whole Foods (currently under renovation). Takeout and delivery only. However, in good weather, you can pickup your takeout and seat yourself in an 80-seat interior patio, with a small fountain.
Ghost Line DC houses a handful of established chefs who have individual workstations set up in the space that previously housed Town Hall. Each chef prepares packaged meals that the staff will deliver within a 2-mile radius of the Ghost Line.
They are now making fried chicken sandwiches, multiple styles of pizza, Indian Khichdi, Japanese ramen, and sushi. They are also serving cupcakes, ice cream, lattes, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches.
The first time we ordered takeout from Ghost Line, Debbie and Carol ordered and shared a pizza and I ordered Ramen.
Operating hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The various egg dishes including the egg sandwiches are only available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.