It’s safe to say that during the course of the pandemic, we’ve all seen some pretty unusual things. Everything become contactless, we’ve had Zoom parties and ‘physical distancing’ became the norm. Add to that list – ghost kitchens from Walmart in Canada. Yep, that’s right. The grocery and retail giant has partnered with Ghost Kitchen Brands (GKB) for this initiative.
The main focus of the partnership is to bring a one-stop meal pickup and delivery service to Canadians across the country. It’s the first collaboration of its kind for GKB, with a location already open in the Walmart at St. Catherines, Ontario.
You can place orders either at the store or online for freshly prepared meals. They’re available for takeout or delivery via third party platforms like Uber Eats. There are options to choose and mix and match between a variety of popular brands. Some of these include Canadian Jerk, Quiznos, Beyond Meat, Pepe’s Perogies, Amaya Indian Street Food and lots more.
While this concept of integration sounds practical and convenient in theory, we can’t help but wonder if this is what the food industry needs right now. At a time when small business and restaurants in the industry across the country are taking the hit, it’s worth thinking about whether we really want to contribute even further to an already big-box retailer.
Four additional locations of these Walmart ghost kitchens are set to open in Woodstock, Toronto, Lachenaie and Saint-Constant, later this year.
