I was scrolling through Uber Eats the other night, and noticed a new place that no one had talked about in Kalamazoo yet - Leo's Italian Kitchen. The food looked good, sounded good, it had pretty positive reviews, so I gave it a shot.

It wasn't bad at all, especially for the price, but something felt oddly familiar about it. So I looked up where this place was. Turns out... it was a Logan's Roadhouse in Portage! I'd just unknowingly ordered from one of Kalamazoo's many Ghost Kitchens.

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Ghost Kitchens and MrBeast Burger

During the pandemic, many restaurants turned to delivery orders through Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Grub Hub, as their main source of income. People weren't coming into their restaurants, so they were going to send the restaurant to them.

But for some, it didn't quite meet the threshold they needed to stay afloat. That's where Ghost Kitchens come into play.

For experienced Youtube watchers, the name Mr. Beast is very familiar. He's known for pulling extraordinary stunts with his friends, and awarding HUGE amounts of cash to ordinary people for simply being in the right place at the right time.

Mr. Beast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, started a "virtual" kitchen in December of 2020, that bore his own moniker - MrBeast Burger. But the catch was, it had no physical location. He was able to "open" a Beast Burger in 300 locations, without ever buying a building, because he used existing restaurants and kitchens to create the food.

Other entrepreneurs caught on, and followed suit. So restaurants that relied on customers sitting down, and staying to order appetizers, drinks, and more food - like a Logan's Road House- essentially became two restaurants, with the virtual restaurant menu only being available through delivery service.

These became known as "Ghost Kitchens."

Current Ghost Kitchens in Kalamazoo

Once things opened up again, though, the Ghost Kitchens remained, and even expanded. Many of them are still in service through the Kalamazoo area, so we ask, have you ordered from any of these ghost kitchens in the area?

Kalamazoo's Ghost Kitchens

There are a number of "ghost" kitchens available in Kalamazoo, which you can only order through delivery apps. Have you tried any of these?

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