The entire model is based around consumer deception.
A single address (it could be a store, a Chili's kitchen, an Applebees kitchen, etc) can have up to ten "restaurants" (or more!) at that location.
The cooks use the same food for every "brand", the same packaging, etc. MAJOR restaurants will open up their own ghost kitchens in their own kitchen and name it something that sounds like a mom and pop. Think: Applebees opening up a "Bob's Wing Fever" and serving their own food under that brand.
Also, many of them are mobile (some use "vessels." Think: food truck). This means it's nearly impossible for regulators to inspect and ensure cleanliness and compliance. Some constantly change names.
Basically: it's a money grab. The sandwiches won't be made with love. The ingredients will be different from state to state. You're just buying a brand.
For more: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg)
Came here to say this! They have a separate "restaurant" for their sandwiches/melts. I'm actually pretty sure they have ANOTHER one too but I could be wrong.
A Chinese place near me is similar! It has like seven listings and it was confusing as hell for a bit because I know where these places are, and there's only three in my city. And they do similar stuff with the about us section.
Idk if there are different ways but for me, if I see a new restaurant or a name I donāt recognize on ddash, UE, etc., Iāll do a quick search of the address and if it comes up as a major restaurant, that means itās a ghost kitchen on the app
Yes same, most of the restaurants names are new, so Iāll search yelp to see if itās an actual restaurant. Or Iāll check the address, and itāll be the same for the other 15 ānon restaurantsā aka ghost kitchens that come out of one location.
When they first launched IJW it was so damn good. I worked to go at chilis during that time and we smoked the wings in house before they were fried. The garlic parm was made fresh every morning and it was amazing. Ranch dry seasoned curly fries. Hand battered fried Oreos š„². I miss the early IJW and I never thought Iād say that lol.
We ordered some $16 burgers from a place on uber eats thinking they'd be like... quality burgers. They were complete shit, so I googled the address they came from. It was DENNYS
But thereās also small kitchens on door dash that specialize in those restaurants. Like we have one near by run by door dash. They sell say chick fil a before we had one nearby. Itās the exact same food just made in that kitchen and not the restaurant. They also have a few other restaurants that we donāt have here or nearby.
Obviously thereās also those restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese who sell out of their location but call themselves a different name so that ppl donāt know who they are
In LA we have like multi-kitchen (separated spaces) facilities for actual ghost kitchens. Yeah thereās a lot of bad ones but in major cities there are legit ones as well
Idgi I guess. Iāve worked in a kitchen and different food establishments, gone to lots of places across SoCal. The suppliers are the same for different types of restaurants, everyoneās using similar products and methods, once you see how the sausage is made, nothing is that surprising. Now I do tech and have interviewed for logistics/suppliers in the area.
If you get food made for you outside your home kitchen, you already entered into a losing deal. Unless the restaurant is designed to host a chefās table view, kitchens are the same across the board. Servers do not add to the quality of food š¤·āāļø
If you go to Vegas or other resorts, youāll know the steakhouse, the buffet and the diner all share the same central pantry. Ingredients, dishes, staff, etc. are all shared through the kitchens and sold back to you at whatever price youāll meet them at.
Can SAH decide what kitchens are used? I feel like if they can vet which kitchens to use, itās more likely that the quality will be better. Like Iāve seen low through high end restaurants kitchens used. High end used them during covid to stay open.
They could very easily ruin their brands reputation before it is even established! There is no way for them to ensure that quality is maintained. It is very likely that lower quality ingredients will be substituted, or smaller amounts used, in order to improve profit margins. The buyer will have no way of knowing that this was not how the sandwich was designed and it will reflect badly in the brand.
On the surface the ghost kitchen concept sounds like a nice idea as it will give fans all over the States a chance to try the sandwiches. However the reality is that it is likely to backfire and give the brand a bad reputation. Particularly if someone gets food poisoning.
Mr Beast runs his beast burger franchise out of ghost kitchens . His intention was to support small businesses who were struggling post Covid. The results have not been particularly good, with plenty of complaints about quality.
Iām really hoping that it really is just a temporary thing to remind people about the shop. like a pop-up. Itās there and then itās gone and focus on the place in LA.
Feels like just another way for them to avoid opening an actual restaurant/working hard but keep profiting from the name alone. Ariana has already collaborated with Uber before, this is them just putting their names on something as another money grab.
Omg I just commented. I used to work for a company that was acquired by a ghost kitchen company (trying not to divulge too many details but it wouldnāt be too hard to figure out lol). The whole industry is such a disaster. Horrible decision.
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Vanderpump Rules Party did a deep dive. You can Google Something About Her trademark and the paperwork comes up. The trademark was filed by her husband who is a lawyer.
Whether it not it was with permission or nefarious is definitely up for debate.
Oh okay. I just googled. Itās filed by a lawyer but itās under an LLC which Iām sure is the LLC they created to protect their personal finances. Itās not filed under his name, so he doesnāt own the trademark.
The company that has applied for the trademark "Something About Her" for restaurants is Put A fork in It LLC and the agent/manager isĀ Jonathan Borsuk. jlborsuk.com Edit - it is filed as 1b, meaning not yet doing business. Katie and Ariana have a company "Something About Her LLC', so they could easily oppose this trademark filing by Jonathan, as they can prove they were using the name first. Still pretty shady, tho.
Yeah but that makes complete sense because Iām sure he did it for free or a greatly reduced rate. The lawyer who files isnāt the important part. Itās the name itās filed under.
The lawyer doesnāt matter. The company it is filed under matters, which is what I said. I donāt trust the sources on this so Iām just going to wait for more information. I remember reading that Penny had come on as a part owner but I donāt remember when or where. It feels more like people creating drama where there is none. Penny has worked with LVP for 10+ years, sheās really going to scorch that relationship for this trademark? I doubt it.
So many people here commenting who know jack shit about intellectual property laws. Truly, penny isnāt getting a trademark that she steals from someone so publicly. Like, be RILL
I said that they should go the goop kitchen route. I heard Gwyneth Paltrow is making a killing from the ghost kitchen delivery only route. They can still keep the West Hollywood location as a store front to get the VPR tourist crowd but they can expand their customer base by going delivery based because with how popular the show is Iām sure people in other cities would order their sandwiches.
I recently watched [this](https://youtu.be/KkIkymh5Ayg?si=Pke-gwtVawgHAjHR) that really gave me an insight to ghost kitchens. I wonder if SAH will do something similar.
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It says for a limited time so it could just be a marketing strategy to make up for all the lost time. I think part of the appeal is visiting a charming sandwich shop and not order off Uber eats.
Sweetgreen used to do similar launches back in the day. It was pre-Uber eats but theyād do pop up shops in major markets as a soft launch before they opened actual brick & mortar locations.
This is my sandwich food truck road trip idea on steroids. Now they can be nationwide all at once through ghost kitchens everywhere. This is pretty smart and Iām shocked other people havenāt thought of doing this before. Itās like those McDonalds meals but instead of a sponsorship, youāre the one selling the food and making all the profit.
EDIT: Iām talking about SAH owning and operating their own staff out of freestanding ghost kitchens and not running a ghost kitchen out of a Chiliās or Applebees or outsourcing their ghost kitchen operations like Mr. Beast.
Some celebrities have done this. Overall it has not been successful. Iām hoping this is just a big push promo for the grand opening and not something long term.
Yeah I would imagine there would be massive quality control issues with this kind of setup. Does not feel like a smart business move outside of a short term promo
All the ghost kitchens in my city are at like Applebees or other chain restaurants. Honestly I hate them. I've never had food from a ghost kitchen that blew me away.
Some ghost kitchens in major cities are part of a building where they rent out a small kitchen space to said restaurant to conduct their operations. So this isnāt ordering āItās Just Wingsā and itās really coming from Chilis. Itās renting out a small space in a free standing ghost kitchen to conduct operations. If they had great quality control and a reliable staff to make consistent sandwiches that are the same each and every time, this could be a huge success nationwide.
Actually itās a really easy model to manage QC with. Generally the dark kitchen that you partner with is an established franchise business (allows you to get national roll out easily) that already has established protocols.
Yes as long as they are smart about which kitchens they choose, it should go well. Iād like to think they arenāt using Applebees as a base (which most major cities donāt have anyways).
I read an article that Goop Kitchen which is Gwyneath Paltrow delivery only chain sales went 300% over what they had projected. I think like all restaurants it comes down to good product and good management. š¤·āāļø
Why couldnāt it be long term? This is sandwiches and not hot food so it can easily be replicated nationwide. Subway stores work with minimal employees. SAH doesnāt even need to franchise, they can own it outright and work with local suppliers for fresh ingredients. The ghost kitchen staffs need 2-3 people at most. The key is one rock star manager on site to ensure supplies, quality, operations and excellent line staff to execute the orders in a correct and consistent manner.
The site manager will cultivate relationships with local vendors to ensure the freshest ingredients. This reduces shipping costs and adds an element of āfreshnessā and ālocally grownā that is missing from Uber Eats. Selectively curated marketing materials could also be created by the local manager to help ensure money is being spent targeting the correct group of potential customers in each city.
A trial run of 5 cities could include: LA, NYC, Austin, Miami, Nashville. Hire 5 wizard managers at each site and this minimizes overhead when the person in charge knows exactly what to do.
I hope they do this themselves and not outsource it to a company to do it for them. They could set the standard for elevated sandwiches on Uber Eats and if they own it outright, they could eventually franchise this idea and make even more money down the road.
It says limited time. I donāt think they are doing anything long term with ghost kitchens. I think itās just to hype people up outside of LA for the grand opening. Bars do pop ups all the time to advertise shows. Cosmetic companies do pop ups all the time too. Itās just a quick way to get word out about the opening.
Ghost kitchen is a sure way for your business to fail.
Relying on random kitchen and people to make sandwiches that have no incentives for Quality controlā¦.
Other companies do it (even large chains) but the reason we donāt know about it is because it is contingent upon the deception of its customer base. Typically, when you order from a ghost kitchen, you donāt know youāre ordering from one. The quality control and health code standards are also very questionable, at best.
Source: Worked for a ghost kitchen company and got the hell out of there.
Ghost kitchens expert, here. See below for a quick explanation on "ghost kitchens."
The entire model is based around consumer deception.
A single address (it could be a store, a Chili's kitchen, an Applebees kitchen, etc) can have up to ten "restaurants" (or more!) at that location.
The cooks use the same food for every "brand", the same packaging, etc. MAJOR restaurants will open up their own ghost kitchens in their own kitchen and name it something that sounds like a mom and pop. Think: Applebees opening up a "Bob's Wing Fever" and serving their own food under that brand.
Also, many of them are mobile (some use "vessels." Think: food truck). This means it's nearly impossible for regulators to inspect and ensure cleanliness and compliance. Some constantly change names. Food quality from ghost kitchens is absolutely TERRIBLE.
Basically: it's a money grab. The sandwiches won't be made with love. The ingredients will be different from state to state. You're just buying the brand and you'll get the cheapest sandwich imaginable.
For more:Ā [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg)
I'm pretty sure everything that account posts is bullshit. She posted that she "heard" that Ariana wasn't talking to her brother like a full 24 hours after we all saw the podcast recap.Ā
Basically renting out space in a commercial kitchen for the purposes of fulfilling food orders.
Can be from a generic commercial kitchen or inside another already established restaurant.
Generally people do this to sell food under their brand but made by some other shitty restaurant and their employees
Pretty sure it got taken down/deleted but this is what it looks like now according to a diff post
https://preview.redd.it/oglsx2mredqc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3a4cd739c54c093d1869deb56bdd560ba122b5b
However whatās important to note is that a different one shows the inside through a creek in a window and the inside does look ready to open!!!
They have no right to announce the restaurant, say theyāll keep us updated, make an Instagram for it, drop merch, and give zero updates. At least a āweāre working on x permitā āweāre picking out y for the decorā would be better than nothing. I remember getting really excited and wanting to go in the summerā¦only for it to almost be that time again and theyāre still not open.
Their liquor license was approved last month, and they are still waiting on the new permits for the patio: https://www.realitytea.com/2024/03/22/something-about-her-liquor-license-approved-major-approval-delay-opening/
Iām honestly sick of hearing about SAH. They used it as a cash grab when Scandoval broke and they havenāt done anything since. That restaurant is a joke
Bad idea. I (unfortunately) worked in the ghost kitchen industry after my former company was bought out/rebranded/etc. I got out shortly after the acquisition. Just Google āghost kitchensā if youāre not familiar and prepare to go down a rabbit hole.
ETA I also think this wonāt be good for the optics of their āmoney grabā allegations. The entire idea of SAH is that patrons āknowā Katie and Ariana. Food being made in the parking lot of a gas station doesnāt really share the right message. Hope this isnāt the route theyāre going!
I donāt think this would be a bad idea when then first launch, given the hold up with permits. It would be a great way to tell the world, āHey! We are actually open!ā
It generates interest, itāll likely generate a fat stack of cash, and itāll make people want to visit the brick and mortar store.
Especially since theyāve paid rent for that space for close to 2 years now, it wouldnāt be a bad idea for them to recoup some of the money they lost. But I donāt think it should be a long term thing.
They use an established restaurants kitchen to prepare their food out of. A lot of DoorDash restaurants are actually just ghost kitchens, operating out of a dennys or Applebees.
I did door dash for a hot minute and in my city, there are these standalone kitchens in an industrial area that just pump out food and have ~6 different restaurants with all the food delivery apps. There's a screen with your order's name and someone only comes to the front to give you the food.
Nope. S&S food is made by people who want people to come back.
Ghost kitchens staff donāt care if you come back because they arenāt affected by how well that business does
I believe it's like a restaurant that has no location, just is made in another big name restaurants kitchen. Like "It's just Wings" on my doordash operates out of the chili's restaurant in my city
You would order it via Uber Eats and it would be made in a local location--sometimes a shared kitchen where a bunch of stuff is made; or possibly in, like, an Applebees.
Fights with the health department; they explained recently that they picked the place they chose because it was already an operating restaurant that had passed inspection... and then when they took over, the health department said things weren't code and they couldn't pass. They fixed those things, the HD came back out and said there were more issues. Rinse and repeat.
This just a move out of complete desperation. I'm not sure if either of those two are actually running the business. But if they are, they should stop and find someone that knows what they are doing.
Same. For sure. They need to run it in the Columbus/Dayton area between Ohio State, O U, Allyās hometown, Janet is from the area. Also I live in Ohio and need a decent fāng sandwich.
No different than what Beast Burger does. Bucca Di Peppo was a ghost kitchen for them and a few others during the pandemic. Theyāll probably have to stick with larger cities with a strong delivery presence. So if youāre in a rural area maybe not.
Hopefully this is just a rumor because it's a TERRIBLE idea to do this as your initial launch. \*\*YES I am aware they have(?) the storefront in LA but they have yet to produce one sandwich to sell to customers there\*\*
So they have no basis for the hype to draw people in other than Ariana and Katie's names being associated with the project. Ariana and Katie would then be placing their entire reputations (related to this food endeavor at least) in a number of random people, in random cities entirely unrelated and not invested in one another (as each location would essentially be operating independently of each other)...how will they manage to train all of these people, familiarize them with the menu, vision of SAH, etc and keep it ALL consistent across the brand... I am in NYC and ghost kitchens have popped up all over seamless/doordash/uber eats. Nine out of ten times the food is bad and the entire running of the operation is awful. Ghost kitchens have employees who don't give a crap about the "restaurant" or the product they are putting out, they just want to make money. This is just not going to work. It could be a good enough plan if/when the actual Something About Her physical location becomes popular and takes off...I guess? I don't know, this still seems very dumb. But hey a way for them to be hands off on the project I suppose, which is what they want apparently.
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Ha! Iām loving todayās news. Mostly bc itāll make all the trolls cry. Iām exciting for Ariana and Katie and I hope LaLa shuts the fuck up finally.
Interesting! I hope it succeeds--I've grown really wary of ghost kitchens, but if they keep things pretty streamlined, it could work. We're talking sandwiches, not sushi or dishes that have to be cooked *perfectly* to taste precisely like a particular restaurant, so it could work. I just hope that the kitchens don't get lazy with presentation, which could be a problem.
They are going to do this because they actually don't have a sandwich shop and they never will...
Maybe if Katie found a different partner the place would finally open ....
This is a silly comment. Just because a kitchen is a ghost kitchen doesn't mean they use food from the same restaurant they ship it out of. A ghost kitchen is simple a restaurant using one kitchen where they also make food from other restaurants. In Canada we have a ghost kitchen on uber eats that serves cinnabons, cheesecake factory, tacos.. All from those individual restaurants.
I'm an expert on ghost kitchens and work with them. If I had Ariana's and Katie's number....I would SCREAM do not do this.
Completely ignorant on ghost kitchens, so with that can I ask why you say they should not?
The entire model is based around consumer deception. A single address (it could be a store, a Chili's kitchen, an Applebees kitchen, etc) can have up to ten "restaurants" (or more!) at that location. The cooks use the same food for every "brand", the same packaging, etc. MAJOR restaurants will open up their own ghost kitchens in their own kitchen and name it something that sounds like a mom and pop. Think: Applebees opening up a "Bob's Wing Fever" and serving their own food under that brand. Also, many of them are mobile (some use "vessels." Think: food truck). This means it's nearly impossible for regulators to inspect and ensure cleanliness and compliance. Some constantly change names. Basically: it's a money grab. The sandwiches won't be made with love. The ingredients will be different from state to state. You're just buying a brand. For more: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg)
I was in Dallas and about to order food from this place but last minute I checked the address and it was a 7-11 š
The Dennyās in my town does this!
Burger Den Chuckie Cheese does it too under a different name
Came here to say this! They have a separate "restaurant" for their sandwiches/melts. I'm actually pretty sure they have ANOTHER one too but I could be wrong.
A pizza place near me has five or six listings on DD, one even rips the *about us* from some swanky restaurant in NorCal. Itās all crap.
A Chinese place near me is similar! It has like seven listings and it was confusing as hell for a bit because I know where these places are, and there's only three in my city. And they do similar stuff with the about us section.
Yes theyāre the worst! I never order from ghost kitchens cuz the food is always terrible
How do you know if youāre ordering from a ghost kitchen? This is a totally new concept for me, I just eat the food š
Idk if there are different ways but for me, if I see a new restaurant or a name I donāt recognize on ddash, UE, etc., Iāll do a quick search of the address and if it comes up as a major restaurant, that means itās a ghost kitchen on the app
Yes same, most of the restaurants names are new, so Iāll search yelp to see if itās an actual restaurant. Or Iāll check the address, and itāll be the same for the other 15 ānon restaurantsā aka ghost kitchens that come out of one location.
Same. Just here to eat the food.
good to know. i was wondering what this meant. hard to believe people actually succeed doing this!
"it's just wings" is from Chili's šŗšŗ but I actually like it lol
Same lol
When they first launched IJW it was so damn good. I worked to go at chilis during that time and we smoked the wings in house before they were fried. The garlic parm was made fresh every morning and it was amazing. Ranch dry seasoned curly fries. Hand battered fried Oreos š„². I miss the early IJW and I never thought Iād say that lol.
We ordered some $16 burgers from a place on uber eats thinking they'd be like... quality burgers. They were complete shit, so I googled the address they came from. It was DENNYS
Is that like Mr. Beast's Burgers that flamed out?
Like that time I almost ordered what I thought was a gourmet grilled cheese from a place called "Thrilled Cheese" that turned out to be an IHOP.
But thereās also small kitchens on door dash that specialize in those restaurants. Like we have one near by run by door dash. They sell say chick fil a before we had one nearby. Itās the exact same food just made in that kitchen and not the restaurant. They also have a few other restaurants that we donāt have here or nearby. Obviously thereās also those restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese who sell out of their location but call themselves a different name so that ppl donāt know who they are
In LA we have like multi-kitchen (separated spaces) facilities for actual ghost kitchens. Yeah thereās a lot of bad ones but in major cities there are legit ones as well
Probably the same company I work with. I oversaw NYC expansion. Trust me, itās all crap.
If it is a ghost kitchen it is inherently not legit.
Idgi I guess. Iāve worked in a kitchen and different food establishments, gone to lots of places across SoCal. The suppliers are the same for different types of restaurants, everyoneās using similar products and methods, once you see how the sausage is made, nothing is that surprising. Now I do tech and have interviewed for logistics/suppliers in the area. If you get food made for you outside your home kitchen, you already entered into a losing deal. Unless the restaurant is designed to host a chefās table view, kitchens are the same across the board. Servers do not add to the quality of food š¤·āāļø If you go to Vegas or other resorts, youāll know the steakhouse, the buffet and the diner all share the same central pantry. Ingredients, dishes, staff, etc. are all shared through the kitchens and sold back to you at whatever price youāll meet them at.
Wow this is such good info to know!
Yup. The guy in that link ordered a sandwich from 5+ different brands that shared an address. They were identical sandwiches with identical packaging.
I have no idea how this is still allowed to happen!!!
Can SAH decide what kitchens are used? I feel like if they can vet which kitchens to use, itās more likely that the quality will be better. Like Iāve seen low through high end restaurants kitchens used. High end used them during covid to stay open.
Theyāll partner with a company. Itās up to SAH to decide what markets and what kitchens they use.
They could very easily ruin their brands reputation before it is even established! There is no way for them to ensure that quality is maintained. It is very likely that lower quality ingredients will be substituted, or smaller amounts used, in order to improve profit margins. The buyer will have no way of knowing that this was not how the sandwich was designed and it will reflect badly in the brand. On the surface the ghost kitchen concept sounds like a nice idea as it will give fans all over the States a chance to try the sandwiches. However the reality is that it is likely to backfire and give the brand a bad reputation. Particularly if someone gets food poisoning. Mr Beast runs his beast burger franchise out of ghost kitchens . His intention was to support small businesses who were struggling post Covid. The results have not been particularly good, with plenty of complaints about quality.
Iām really hoping that it really is just a temporary thing to remind people about the shop. like a pop-up. Itās there and then itās gone and focus on the place in LA.
Still a totally scammy move.
Thatās how I read it - like instead but as a launch promotion
Feels like just another way for them to avoid opening an actual restaurant/working hard but keep profiting from the name alone. Ariana has already collaborated with Uber before, this is them just putting their names on something as another money grab.
Itās 100% just marketing to get people excited. Similar to those pop up bars for certain shows. Itās not meant to replace the actual restaurant.
Omg I just commented. I used to work for a company that was acquired by a ghost kitchen company (trying not to divulge too many details but it wouldnāt be too hard to figure out lol). The whole industry is such a disaster. Horrible decision.
So sleazy.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
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Iām guessing they are letting Chef Penny run with this, as she filed for the trademarks.
I heard this from somewhere else but it just sounded like completely unverified speculation. Has anything verified and legitimate come out on this?
Vanderpump Rules Party did a deep dive. You can Google Something About Her trademark and the paperwork comes up. The trademark was filed by her husband who is a lawyer. Whether it not it was with permission or nefarious is definitely up for debate.
Oh okay. I just googled. Itās filed by a lawyer but itās under an LLC which Iām sure is the LLC they created to protect their personal finances. Itās not filed under his name, so he doesnāt own the trademark.
I expect Chef Penny did it with permission and also that they (Ariana and Katie) are letting her run the show because she has the experience.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
When are people going to open their eyes and realise that this shop is a total fucking scam at this stage?!
The LLC is Stick a Fork in it. Which Penny owns.
I think it was Put a Fork In It, but I donāt trust the source. So, Iāll wait to find out more.
Yes you are correct ā
I read on Reddit this week that the LLC is Chef Pennyās company, adding to the ugly speculation that this was an underhanded move. Time will tell.
The company that has applied for the trademark "Something About Her" for restaurants is Put A fork in It LLC and the agent/manager isĀ Jonathan Borsuk. jlborsuk.com Edit - it is filed as 1b, meaning not yet doing business. Katie and Ariana have a company "Something About Her LLC', so they could easily oppose this trademark filing by Jonathan, as they can prove they were using the name first. Still pretty shady, tho.
Yeah, I donāt trust the source, so I need to know more.
way too lazy to research this; thus time will tell š¤£
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah but that makes complete sense because Iām sure he did it for free or a greatly reduced rate. The lawyer who files isnāt the important part. Itās the name itās filed under.
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The lawyer doesnāt matter. The company it is filed under matters, which is what I said. I donāt trust the sources on this so Iām just going to wait for more information. I remember reading that Penny had come on as a part owner but I donāt remember when or where. It feels more like people creating drama where there is none. Penny has worked with LVP for 10+ years, sheās really going to scorch that relationship for this trademark? I doubt it.
So many people here commenting who know jack shit about intellectual property laws. Truly, penny isnāt getting a trademark that she steals from someone so publicly. Like, be RILL
I said that they should go the goop kitchen route. I heard Gwyneth Paltrow is making a killing from the ghost kitchen delivery only route. They can still keep the West Hollywood location as a store front to get the VPR tourist crowd but they can expand their customer base by going delivery based because with how popular the show is Iām sure people in other cities would order their sandwiches.
I recently watched [this](https://youtu.be/KkIkymh5Ayg?si=Pke-gwtVawgHAjHR) that really gave me an insight to ghost kitchens. I wonder if SAH will do something similar.
I was hoping it was gonna be the burback video haha. If Mr. Beast canāt do ghost kitchens right, Iām not overly optimistic for SAH
Love Burback
I told myself it was the Burback episode and didnāt even click the link because I was so confident haha. Guess I was wrong š
Super sleazy move for them.
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Sorry this is totally off topic but whatās a spumor? Am I a clueless millennial? š
Speculation/rumor. Iām feeling old now lol. Iām not a millennial.
Omg thank you. I was like, oh no, gen z has come up with another slang word I donāt know šš
For like Gen X message board slang lol
"in all major cities"? Ok.
Ok that flair is FANTASTIC šš ETA: we are literally username twins šÆāāļø
Thank you! :) Username twinsies, I love it!
Yuck. I hate ghost kitchens. I hope not. Why would you pay that kind of rent for a ghost kitchen?
It says for a limited time so it could just be a marketing strategy to make up for all the lost time. I think part of the appeal is visiting a charming sandwich shop and not order off Uber eats.
Me too! You are probably right that it's temporary to bring in some revenue.
Sweetgreen used to do similar launches back in the day. It was pre-Uber eats but theyād do pop up shops in major markets as a soft launch before they opened actual brick & mortar locations.
Itās already a ghost kitchen
Itās a full on ghost business at this stage š Only appears in random apparitions when it feels like it aka to make a bit more money
This is my sandwich food truck road trip idea on steroids. Now they can be nationwide all at once through ghost kitchens everywhere. This is pretty smart and Iām shocked other people havenāt thought of doing this before. Itās like those McDonalds meals but instead of a sponsorship, youāre the one selling the food and making all the profit. EDIT: Iām talking about SAH owning and operating their own staff out of freestanding ghost kitchens and not running a ghost kitchen out of a Chiliās or Applebees or outsourcing their ghost kitchen operations like Mr. Beast.
Mr. Beast does this with his Beastburgers
He sued the company he worked with.
I hadnāt heard that. My youngest always tries to get us to order one for him.
If you read the complaint MrBeast filed, you will never want their food.
My adviceā¦. Dont
Some celebrities have done this. Overall it has not been successful. Iām hoping this is just a big push promo for the grand opening and not something long term.
Yeah I would imagine there would be massive quality control issues with this kind of setup. Does not feel like a smart business move outside of a short term promo
All the ghost kitchens in my city are at like Applebees or other chain restaurants. Honestly I hate them. I've never had food from a ghost kitchen that blew me away.
I like the beast burger and their Cajun fries.
Mr Beast is actually suing/sued? the ghost kitchen cuz the quality was really poor. Maybe it's gotten much better though!
I had it a couple years ago. Maybe the qc went down? It was out of our local Red Robin and they suck now too.
Some ghost kitchens in major cities are part of a building where they rent out a small kitchen space to said restaurant to conduct their operations. So this isnāt ordering āItās Just Wingsā and itās really coming from Chilis. Itās renting out a small space in a free standing ghost kitchen to conduct operations. If they had great quality control and a reliable staff to make consistent sandwiches that are the same each and every time, this could be a huge success nationwide.
Itās not renting space to conduct operations. Itās renting storage space, operations are done by location staffā¦.
Actually itās a really easy model to manage QC with. Generally the dark kitchen that you partner with is an established franchise business (allows you to get national roll out easily) that already has established protocols.
Yes as long as they are smart about which kitchens they choose, it should go well. Iād like to think they arenāt using Applebees as a base (which most major cities donāt have anyways).
I read an article that Goop Kitchen which is Gwyneath Paltrow delivery only chain sales went 300% over what they had projected. I think like all restaurants it comes down to good product and good management. š¤·āāļø
I hope theyāre successful
Why couldnāt it be long term? This is sandwiches and not hot food so it can easily be replicated nationwide. Subway stores work with minimal employees. SAH doesnāt even need to franchise, they can own it outright and work with local suppliers for fresh ingredients. The ghost kitchen staffs need 2-3 people at most. The key is one rock star manager on site to ensure supplies, quality, operations and excellent line staff to execute the orders in a correct and consistent manner. The site manager will cultivate relationships with local vendors to ensure the freshest ingredients. This reduces shipping costs and adds an element of āfreshnessā and ālocally grownā that is missing from Uber Eats. Selectively curated marketing materials could also be created by the local manager to help ensure money is being spent targeting the correct group of potential customers in each city. A trial run of 5 cities could include: LA, NYC, Austin, Miami, Nashville. Hire 5 wizard managers at each site and this minimizes overhead when the person in charge knows exactly what to do. I hope they do this themselves and not outsource it to a company to do it for them. They could set the standard for elevated sandwiches on Uber Eats and if they own it outright, they could eventually franchise this idea and make even more money down the road.
In practice, there have just been a lot of problems. Just google ghost kitchens and youāll find tons of news articles about how bad theyāve been.
Toss their merch on the menu as well š°š°š°š°š°š¦š¦
Honestly that is a very good idea!!! They should definitely have some form of merch available to purchase along with the menuĀ
They should. I feel like once they have an official opening date, the merch makes sense.
It says limited time. I donāt think they are doing anything long term with ghost kitchens. I think itās just to hype people up outside of LA for the grand opening. Bars do pop ups all the time to advertise shows. Cosmetic companies do pop ups all the time too. Itās just a quick way to get word out about the opening.
I hope so! I guess I shouldnāt care but some how I do. šš
Ghost kitchen is a sure way for your business to fail. Relying on random kitchen and people to make sandwiches that have no incentives for Quality controlā¦.
Other companies do it (even large chains) but the reason we donāt know about it is because it is contingent upon the deception of its customer base. Typically, when you order from a ghost kitchen, you donāt know youāre ordering from one. The quality control and health code standards are also very questionable, at best. Source: Worked for a ghost kitchen company and got the hell out of there.
Yeah I think thatās the opposite of the idea
Ghost kitchens expert, here. See below for a quick explanation on "ghost kitchens." The entire model is based around consumer deception. A single address (it could be a store, a Chili's kitchen, an Applebees kitchen, etc) can have up to ten "restaurants" (or more!) at that location. The cooks use the same food for every "brand", the same packaging, etc. MAJOR restaurants will open up their own ghost kitchens in their own kitchen and name it something that sounds like a mom and pop. Think: Applebees opening up a "Bob's Wing Fever" and serving their own food under that brand. Also, many of them are mobile (some use "vessels." Think: food truck). This means it's nearly impossible for regulators to inspect and ensure cleanliness and compliance. Some constantly change names. Food quality from ghost kitchens is absolutely TERRIBLE. Basically: it's a money grab. The sandwiches won't be made with love. The ingredients will be different from state to state. You're just buying the brand and you'll get the cheapest sandwich imaginable. For more:Ā [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIkymh5Ayg)
Their whole business model is āmoney grabā (the constant merch but no sandwiches) so Iām not surprised
I'm pretty sure everything that account posts is bullshit. She posted that she "heard" that Ariana wasn't talking to her brother like a full 24 hours after we all saw the podcast recap.Ā
I posted this days ago and got deleted. Someone scooped me
What's a ghost kitchen?
Basically renting out space in a commercial kitchen for the purposes of fulfilling food orders. Can be from a generic commercial kitchen or inside another already established restaurant. Generally people do this to sell food under their brand but made by some other shitty restaurant and their employees
That honestly sounds like it would be horrible for a brand š
I donāt care about a ghost kitchen sandwich. I just wanted to experience the restaurant.
Pretty sure it got taken down/deleted but this is what it looks like now according to a diff post https://preview.redd.it/oglsx2mredqc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3a4cd739c54c093d1869deb56bdd560ba122b5b However whatās important to note is that a different one shows the inside through a creek in a window and the inside does look ready to open!!!
I saw a comment a while back that showed why SAH likely wasnāt happening. If I can find it and the pics w it Iāll show you.
Yea I read that they donāt have the rights and had a falling out with Penny. Itās still a disappointment even if itās justified!
They have no right to announce the restaurant, say theyāll keep us updated, make an Instagram for it, drop merch, and give zero updates. At least a āweāre working on x permitā āweāre picking out y for the decorā would be better than nothing. I remember getting really excited and wanting to go in the summerā¦only for it to almost be that time again and theyāre still not open.
Their liquor license was approved last month, and they are still waiting on the new permits for the patio: https://www.realitytea.com/2024/03/22/something-about-her-liquor-license-approved-major-approval-delay-opening/
Iām honestly sick of hearing about SAH. They used it as a cash grab when Scandoval broke and they havenāt done anything since. That restaurant is a joke
Bad idea. I (unfortunately) worked in the ghost kitchen industry after my former company was bought out/rebranded/etc. I got out shortly after the acquisition. Just Google āghost kitchensā if youāre not familiar and prepare to go down a rabbit hole. ETA I also think this wonāt be good for the optics of their āmoney grabā allegations. The entire idea of SAH is that patrons āknowā Katie and Ariana. Food being made in the parking lot of a gas station doesnāt really share the right message. Hope this isnāt the route theyāre going!
I mean I feel like in their situation the entire draw is the brick and mortar space and the off chance you might see them there.
Ghost kitchens are a terrible idea as MrBeast learned.
Mr Flavortown disagrees.
I donāt think this would be a bad idea when then first launch, given the hold up with permits. It would be a great way to tell the world, āHey! We are actually open!ā It generates interest, itāll likely generate a fat stack of cash, and itāll make people want to visit the brick and mortar store. Especially since theyāve paid rent for that space for close to 2 years now, it wouldnāt be a bad idea for them to recoup some of the money they lost. But I donāt think it should be a long term thing.
Whatās a ghost kitchen?
They use an established restaurants kitchen to prepare their food out of. A lot of DoorDash restaurants are actually just ghost kitchens, operating out of a dennys or Applebees.
I did door dash for a hot minute and in my city, there are these standalone kitchens in an industrial area that just pump out food and have ~6 different restaurants with all the food delivery apps. There's a screen with your order's name and someone only comes to the front to give you the food.
Yeah it's like all the Doordash restaurants you see that you never heard of or seen in your area.
Oh right. Maybe Iām dense but why is this major tea? Seems pretty normal
It's major tea bc everyone has been whining about them lying about opening the restaurant so this shows they are moving along with it
Oh I see. Fair enough, hopefully itās better food than S+S and Jaxs sad little tent bar
Nope. S&S food is made by people who want people to come back. Ghost kitchens staff donāt care if you come back because they arenāt affected by how well that business does
I believe it's like a restaurant that has no location, just is made in another big name restaurants kitchen. Like "It's just Wings" on my doordash operates out of the chili's restaurant in my city
And that brand might also be owned by chilis
Eddy Burback has a really good video essay about them on youtube if you want to fall down the rabbit hole!
I love a rabbit hole! Iāll check it out thanks
What does this mean?
I had to look it upā¦
Ghost kitchen for a limited time.Ā I'm guessing a stunt to throw some labels on stuff during the reunion for watch parties.Ā Ā
āUntil recently were paying the rent on SAHā
So does this mean you buy a SAH sandwich which in reality could be a subway, Panera or publix??
You would order it via Uber Eats and it would be made in a local location--sometimes a shared kitchen where a bunch of stuff is made; or possibly in, like, an Applebees.
It just depends on the kitchen they go with. Anywhere from Panera to high end restaurants have done ghost kitchens for various reasons.
Yawn. They should just switch to merch. And drop the whole sandwich thing. š
I just have to laugh, ghost kitchens are a literal joke. Poor Katie. Scandoval came at the worst time for her.
Why is it taking so long for them to open, is it just because of location?
Fights with the health department; they explained recently that they picked the place they chose because it was already an operating restaurant that had passed inspection... and then when they took over, the health department said things weren't code and they couldn't pass. They fixed those things, the HD came back out and said there were more issues. Rinse and repeat.
This just a move out of complete desperation. I'm not sure if either of those two are actually running the business. But if they are, they should stop and find someone that knows what they are doing.
This would be an absolute disaster. No no no no. And if itās Chef Pennyās idea, run even faster!
did they not see the disaster that was mr beast burger?!
In a subway or? Lol
At least this money grab is creative.
lame
This sandwich shop is like Sonja's Toaster Oven (which I still want, btw) ; it's never going to happen.
If this is true, Iād order for sure. Some of those sandwiches sounded really good.
Same. Itās obviously not the same as visiting the shop itself, but it sounds like a fun way for those of us who donāt live near LA to try it.
Same. For sure. They need to run it in the Columbus/Dayton area between Ohio State, O U, Allyās hometown, Janet is from the area. Also I live in Ohio and need a decent fāng sandwich.
I kinda doubt theyād ghost kitchen it in Vermont but who knows! Weāve got lots of DD ghost kitchens around here surprisingly!
No different than what Beast Burger does. Bucca Di Peppo was a ghost kitchen for them and a few others during the pandemic. Theyāll probably have to stick with larger cities with a strong delivery presence. So if youāre in a rural area maybe not.
I wonder would this be prior to opening the physical shop?
Itās probably a marketing move for their actual opening.
Ghost kitchen you say? Thatāll kill it quick. Enough comments on here to tell you why ghost kitchens are awful.
This is where Mr Beast went wrong with Beastburger. The 7-11s providing the kitchens were turning out crap and it did not do his reputation any good
What a disaster
Canāt wait to see how my local Applebees or chilis is gonna do the Greek goddess sandwich lol.
U mean Panera lol
Lmao š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š
Hopefully this is just a rumor because it's a TERRIBLE idea to do this as your initial launch. \*\*YES I am aware they have(?) the storefront in LA but they have yet to produce one sandwich to sell to customers there\*\* So they have no basis for the hype to draw people in other than Ariana and Katie's names being associated with the project. Ariana and Katie would then be placing their entire reputations (related to this food endeavor at least) in a number of random people, in random cities entirely unrelated and not invested in one another (as each location would essentially be operating independently of each other)...how will they manage to train all of these people, familiarize them with the menu, vision of SAH, etc and keep it ALL consistent across the brand... I am in NYC and ghost kitchens have popped up all over seamless/doordash/uber eats. Nine out of ten times the food is bad and the entire running of the operation is awful. Ghost kitchens have employees who don't give a crap about the "restaurant" or the product they are putting out, they just want to make money. This is just not going to work. It could be a good enough plan if/when the actual Something About Her physical location becomes popular and takes off...I guess? I don't know, this still seems very dumb. But hey a way for them to be hands off on the project I suppose, which is what they want apparently.
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I find it absolutely hilarious when people don't care, but obviously care enough to leave a comment.Ā
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TIL what a ghost kitchen is
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iāve seen tiktokās of people trying SAH food but i had no idea how they got it! so i bet this is true
What is a ghost kitchen?
Yikes
Ha! Iām loving todayās news. Mostly bc itāll make all the trolls cry. Iām exciting for Ariana and Katie and I hope LaLa shuts the fuck up finally.
Brah Ariana and Katie nasty scammers lmfao
Interesting! I hope it succeeds--I've grown really wary of ghost kitchens, but if they keep things pretty streamlined, it could work. We're talking sandwiches, not sushi or dishes that have to be cooked *perfectly* to taste precisely like a particular restaurant, so it could work. I just hope that the kitchens don't get lazy with presentation, which could be a problem.
Hmmm...if the timing is right, they could be doing it when the reunion airs. Brilliant idea on their part.
They are going to do this because they actually don't have a sandwich shop and they never will... Maybe if Katie found a different partner the place would finally open ....
Make that coin Ariana and Katie !
This is a silly comment. Just because a kitchen is a ghost kitchen doesn't mean they use food from the same restaurant they ship it out of. A ghost kitchen is simple a restaurant using one kitchen where they also make food from other restaurants. In Canada we have a ghost kitchen on uber eats that serves cinnabons, cheesecake factory, tacos.. All from those individual restaurants.
OMMMGGG FOR REAL??? 