USA. REEF Technology, a leading operator of virtual ‘ghost kitchens’ has collaborated with Hubb Kitchens – its Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise partner – to open a virtual food hall at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The Terminal 2 unit, which opened on 21 July, allows diners to order from nine popular brands including Krispy Rice, 800 Degrees Pizza, Pei Wei, Xochimex Cantina Grill, Zinburger and Rebel Wings. Local concepts Beyu Caffé, Hubb Kitchen and American Meltdown are also included.
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority CEO Michael Landguth said: “RDU’s ghost kitchen allows travellers to order from nine different restaurants from their smartphone phone or kiosk in one seamless transaction.
“The virtual kitchen uses cutting edge technology to provide more dining options, added convenience and a contactless ordering and payment experience.”
Customers can place and pay for their orders on their mobile devices or directly at getREEF kiosks, located in Terminal 2, near Gate C9. Orders are picked up in specially marked lockers near the kiosks. Travellers will be able to mix and match food from any of the brands in the same transaction. In the future, the virtual food hall will also offer delivery to guests at their gate.
“REEF’s first-ever virtual food hall brings dramatic innovation to the future of airport dining by giving travellers unprecedented variety and convenience” – REEF Kitchens Senior Vice President Valentina Ellison
REEF is a leading operator of ghost kitchens globally, and continues to expand across North America, Europe and the Middle East following partnerships with Wendy’s, DJ Khaled, C3 and others.
It aims to transform urban spaces into community hubs offering the best goods, services, and experiences. Its latest airport project marks a major moment in the company’s mission to transform spaces into multi-purpose places that support the on-demand economy. |
REEF Kitchens Senior Vice President Valentina Ellison commented: “REEF’s first-ever virtual food hall brings dramatic innovation to the future of airport dining by giving travellers unprecedented variety and convenience.
“We look forward to continuing to work with RDU as we serve delicious meals to travellers and continue to pioneer the future of the ghost kitchen industry.”
In addition to leveraging REEF’s platform, the getREEF Virtual Food Hall will feature a custom digital ordering experience developed in-house, paired with some of the largest ambient food storage lockers ever used.
REEF said it expects to rotate brands and menu offerings to suit travellers’ evolving taste and preferences as its portfolio of partnerships continues to grow.
 Hubb Kitchens was founded by Jason Johnson with the aim of cultivating culinary entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses by providing professionally managed, easily accessible, affordable commercial kitchen space for rent and industry-specific technical assistance. |
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FAB SUPERSTARS & ESG AWARDSThe Moodie Davitt Report is inviting submissions for the FAB Superstars Awards 2022.
This second virtual edition of the awards will again shine the spotlight on the thousands of front-of-house and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the food & beverage community within our industry going throughout the challenges of the last year. In addition, this year’s awards include an important new category, the FAB ESG Awards, which have been introduced to celebrate, recognise and reward those people and initiatives that have made a positive impact in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). The FAB ESG & Superstars Awards will be presented on Tuesday 13 September to conclude the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference 2022, which is taking place on 12-13 September. They will recognise and reward the achievements of travel retail employees across airport, airline, downtown store and cruise sectors, and celebrate the strength of the human spirit, resourcefulness and ingenuity in our industry. |
