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tags: English
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# 2020/11/3 English Magazine Study

## [The Rise of the Virtual Restaurant](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/technology/uber-eats-ghost-kitchens.html)

Mr.Lopez: 4 opertation (3 are "virtual restaurants")
-->Delivery(25% --> 75%)

Food delivery apps: Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub
--> changing the very essence of opertating a restaurant.

Restaurants: only need a kitchen.
--> budget:
1. without hiring the hassle and expence of waiters
2. Do not need to pay for furniture and tablecloths.

Two types of digital culinary establishments:
1. **Virtual Restaurants:** are attached to real-life.
2. **Ghost Kitchens:** no retail presence and serve as a meal preparation hub for delivery orders.

Online-Ordering Influence:
1. helps restaurants streamline delivery app orders onto one device. --> opportunity to show in front of customers.
2. (potentially) accelerating people's turn toward order-in food over restaurant visits.
3. preparing home-cook meals.

Problems:
1. hurting some traditional establishments(high operating expenses & brutal competition)
2. small independent eateries with narrow profit margins can't afford fees.(pay commissions 15~30%)
3. restaurants owners are trapped in an unstable, unsuitable business model.
4. undermine the connection between diner and chef.

Uber & other delivery apps self-defense: they are helping restaurants(increasing oders), not hurting them.

Delivery-only & Ghost-Kitchen:
- established in the US at 2013 (NY)
- start-up: the Green Summit Group(ghost kitchen)
- 2 years ago, it shut down because it couldn't attract new investors.
- Europe:
- Deliveroo: ghost kitchens -> Rooboxes in some unlikely locations(e.g. East London).
- Uber Eats: tried delivery-only kitchens.
- China:
- online food delivery apps are widely used.
- $70 Billion(2018)
- start-up: Panda Selected(ghost kitchen) -> $50 Million from investors.
- LA:
- Family Style: create more over 6 pizza brands.
- Lorenzo’s of New York, Froman’s Chicago Pizza and Gabriella’s New York Pizza,
- Ghost-Kitchen.
- Pasadena, Calif:
- Kitchen United(Ghost-Kitchen)
- establish 400 such "kitchen centers" arcoss the country over the next few years.

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## [The dangerous life of food delivery drivers](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50238811)

Sonya(Muslim):
- was attacked by her customer, Rick Painter(54).
- trust issue / distant people that her love.

Problems about safety:
- No public forces
- The companies don't publish any.
- from Sydney to New York.
- UberEats's software does't let driver see where they delivering until they accept an order.(hard to avoid gang hotspots)
- if cancel the job, drivers will be suspended.

London case:
- criminal gangs target typically motorbikes or mopeds.
- Operation Venice: Metroplitan Police has set up a task force to tackle it.
- number of crimes(motorbike etc.): under 9,000 -> still around one every hour.

Ban food delivering apps:
- Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.
- Because of concerns some firms weren't satisfying labour and transport laws.
- The companies deny this adn have appealed against the ruling.

Advises from Sonya:
- should do background check.
- identify customers with criminal records.
- DoorDash: introduces a free occupational insurance policy for all its US drivers.

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## [The Booming, Ethically Dubious Business of Food Delivery](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/all-food-will-be-delivered/595222/)

The US:
- 2015:
- spent more money at restaurants than at grocery stores.
- Food-Service location: 40% of all new leases(租賃) in Manhattan
- 2020:
- off premise(not spending in a restauant).
- deliveries, drive-throughs, takeaway meal.
- FIRST TIME ON RECORD!.
- 80% of the industry's growth in the next 5 years.

Fast-growing restaurants:
- attributes: walk in, walk out, and never touch a chair or table.
- quick-service chains(McDonald's & Starbucks)
- fast-casual locations(Chipotle & Sweetgreen)

Online Delivery:
- 5%~10% of total restaurant business
- benefits:
- reduce traffic.
- allow consumers order prepared food on the phone.
- Past: pizza & Chinese food.
- Now: 60% are still pizza, but falling quickly.
- **mainstream**: grew from 17% to 24% in past year.

Meal-Delivery Companies:
- tips(DashDoor): go straight to DoorDash, rather than to the workers.
- Amazon: supply instant graatification -> leave enormous garbages.

Bullish about the overall industry:
- the time starvation of the typical American professional.
- Convenience -> multitasking
- Spending more time working and commuting
- 60% watch more streaming TV.

Meal-delivery companies:
- the most powerful force in business today.
- **convenience maximalism.**