Cloud Kitchens
A company founded by Travis Kalanick that provides infrastructure for food delivery, including real estate, software, and robotics, with the goal of making high-quality food convenient and low-cost.
entitydetail.created_at
7/12/2025, 4:40:55 AM
entitydetail.last_updated
7/26/2025, 5:17:29 AM
entitydetail.research_retrieved
7/12/2025, 4:42:27 AM
Summary
CloudKitchens is a Los Angeles-based organization founded in 2016 by Diego Berdakin and Sky Dayton, which was later acquired by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick. The company operates ghost kitchens and develops related technology, providing commercial kitchen spaces for restaurants focused on food delivery, including production kitchens, CPG, meal prep, food prep, and catering. CloudKitchens repurposes underutilized real estate and offers software to manage online orders, aiming to be a cost-effective alternative to traditional restaurants. Travis Kalanick envisions building comprehensive infrastructure for the future of food delivery, including concepts like "autonomous burritos" driven by "end-to-end automation," exemplified by his "bowl builder" robot designed to reduce labor costs. He has also indicated potential collaboration with the autonomous driving company Pony AI to explore new market opportunities.
Referenced in 2 Documents
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Founded
2016
Industry
Food industry
Services
Software, Real Estate, Virtual restaurant
Area served
United States
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California, United States
Business Model
Provides commercial kitchen spaces for rent, focuses on food delivery and takeout, no dine-in area, tech-enabled for optimization of processes, ordering, and staff scheduling.
Estimated Startup Cost
As little as $30,000
Timeline
- CloudKitchens was founded by Diego Berdakin and Sky Dayton. (Source: Wikipedia)
2016
- Travis Kalanick acquired a controlling stake in CloudKitchens' parent company, City Storage Systems, for approximately $150 million and became CEO. (Source: Wikipedia)
2018
- John Curran was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). (Source: Wikipedia)
2021
- Travis Kalanick elaborates on his vision for CloudKitchens, focusing on building infrastructure for the future of food delivery, including 'autonomous burritos' driven by 'end-to-end automation' and the 'bowl builder' robot to reduce labor costs. (Source: Related document 5a2e1075-6c4e-4a14-9e5b-7bf833bb6674)
Ongoing
- Travis Kalanick hints at potential involvement with autonomous driving company Pony AI to create new market options. (Source: Related document 5a2e1075-6c4e-4a14-9e5b-7bf833bb6674)
Ongoing
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaCloudKitchens
CloudKitchens is a Los Angeles-based company that operates ghost kitchens and develops related technology. The company was founded in 2016 and was later acquired by Uber's cofounder Travis Kalanick. The company provides commercial kitchen spaces restaurants focused on food delivery, including production kitchens, CPG, meal prep, food prep, catering, and others, repurposing underutilized real estate and providing software to manage online orders.
Web Search Results
- What Is a Cloud Kitchen? A Complete Guide for Food Entrepreneurs
A cloud kitchen—also called a ghost kitchen or virtual kitchen—is a commercial kitchen for rent that focuses on preparing food for delivery and takeout. Unlike traditional restaurants, these kitchens don’t have a dine-in area. Instead, they operate from a dedicated kitchen space and use online delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates to reach customers. [...] With this demand, food businesses need efficient kitchen space to handle high-order volumes. That’s where cloud kitchens come in. These delivery-focused commercial kitchens offer a cost-effective solution for restaurants, caterers, and food producers looking to expand without the expenses of a traditional storefront. So, what is a cloud kitchen? How does it work? And why are more food entrepreneurs choosing this model? Let’s break it down. ## What Is a Cloud Kitchen? [...] Cloud kitchens cater to all kinds of food businesses. From local startups to national chains, these commercial kitchen spaces for rent help brands optimize their operations. So, if your food business relies on delivery or large-scale production, a cloud kitchen might be the perfect solution. ## Why Are Cloud Kitchens So Popular?
- Everything You Need to Know About Cloud Kitchens (aka. Ghost ...
Cloud kitchens (often used interchangeably with “ghost kitchens”) are centralized licensed commercial food production facilities where one or two to dozens of restaurants rent space to prepare food for delivery-optimized menu items. One restaurant may run multiple brands, or virtual restaurants, all operating under one roof, or the kitchen may be run like an incubator, shared by different purveyors. [...] Cloud kitchens are uniquely tech-enabled. They take advantage of the now ubiquitous food delivery apps on your smartphone, such as UberEats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. In doing so, they use large amounts of data to determine what types of foods to produce for specific neighborhoods and when the demand is likely to be greatest. For example, hot wings tend to be really popular between 11pm-2am near college campuses. This data is fueling rapid adaptation and optimization, almost in real-time. [...] Because they are designed with tech in mind, cloud kitchens can optimize processes, ordering, and staff scheduling based on consumer behavior. The menu can also be adapted to suit demand and increase margins, optimizing the model over time.
- Cloud Kitchen Business Model: Plan, Benefits & Investments
A cloud kitchen is a commercial kitchen used solely for preparing food for delivery. They do not offer dine-in or take-out options, focusing exclusively on delivering fresh, made-to-order meals. Yes, you can operate a cloud kitchen from home, primarily taking orders from online platforms or phone calls. This setup doesn’t require a dine-in area and can be a cost-effective way to start a food business. [...] A Multi-Brand Cloud Kitchen is a cloud kitchen model in which several restaurant brands operate out of a single kitchen facility. This arrangement enables different brands, usually under the same parent company, to share resources and infrastructure. Each brand can offer a range of cuisines from the same location, maximizing efficiency and reducing costs. [...] A Delivery App-Owned Cloud Kitchen is a cloud kitchen operated by food delivery platforms. These kitchens prepare food exclusively for delivery without a dine-in option. The delivery app owns and manages the kitchen space, providing infrastructure and technology for various restaurant brands to cook and fulfill online orders efficiently.
- CloudKitchens - Wikipedia
CloudKitchens is a Los Angeles-based company that operates ghost kitchens and develops related technology. The company was founded in 2016 and was later acquired by Uber's cofounder Travis Kalanick. The company provides commercial kitchen spaces restaurants focused on food delivery, including production kitchens, CPG, meal prep, food prep, catering, and others, repurposing underutilized real estate and providing software to manage online orders. ## History [...] CloudKitchens was established in 2016 by entrepreneurs Diego Berdakin and Sky Dayton, with its first facility in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, Travis Kalanick, cofounder of Uber, acquired a controlling stake in CloudKitchens' parent company, City Storage Systems, for approximately $150 million and became CEO. John Curran, a former executive at Amazon "Amazon (company)"), was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2021. [...] Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # CloudKitchens CloudKitchens | | | | --- | --- | | Industry | Food industry | | Founded | 2016 | | Founders | Diego Berdakin Sky Dayton | | Area served | United States | | Key people | Travis Kalanick (CEO) | | Services | Software, Real Estate, Virtual restaurant | | Parent | City Storage Systems LLC | | Website | cloudkitchens.com |
- CloudKitchens: Technology optimized for Delivery + Pickup
The cost of ghost kitchens varies by market, space, and services. Compared to a traditional restaurant, they’re a much lower cost alternative on both upfront capital and ongoing operating costs. You can get started in a ghost kitchen with as little as $30K, instead of $1M+ for brick and mortar buildout. Start cooking with us today Start cooking with us today CloudKitchens® is the registered trademark of City Storage Systems LLC. All rights reserved. [...] ### Expand with low risk and low capital Moving into our kitchens is simple and cost-effective. You’ll avoid spending upfront to build out a brick and mortar restaurant. With CloudKitchens, you eliminate front-of-house labor and overhead, taking home a bigger slice of the pie in profits. reachmorecustomers-ghostkitchen ### Get your cooking to a larger audience