Cloud Kitchens

: a novelty in the restaurant industry after COVID-19

Abstract

Over the past few years, the restaurant industry has faced numerous challenges. The arrival of COVID-19 forced various countries around the world to take measures to contain the expansion of the pandemic, especially the mandatory quarantine and the closure of restaurants are measures that have been implemented more by governments.This paper focuses on the Cloud Kitchen phenomenon, a new business model for restaurants. The strategy used is to focus solely on the production of food for one or more brands dedicated exclusively to delivery. The arrival of the pandemic was a catalyst event that created an increase in the amount of food delivery ordered by people never seen before in history. Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis, in this thesis we are going to study how this new business model may or may not be a disruptor for traditional restaurants, especially, the paper intends to try to identify the possible future scenario of the restaurant industry following the arrival of these new competitors in the market. The focus is mainly on analyzing the factors that strengthen the Cloud Kitchen, the advantages that an entrepreneur could have by opting for this operational model, and the limitations that arise when operating under this business format. Competition in the Restaurant Industry is very strong and constantly evolving, restaurants that want to survive and continue to be profitable will have to innovate and adapt to change, anticipating new trends is of fundamental importance to do not be cut off from the market.

Date of Award	25 Oct 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Peter V. Rajsingh (Supervisor)