Kroger store expands offerings with ‘virtual food court’

The Kroger Co. continues to expand its fledgling ghost kitchen initiative.

The company has opened a “virtual food court” featuring items from local and national restaurant brands in partnership with ghost kitchen startup Kitchen United MIX in the Kroger store on East Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Customers can place orders in-store at digital kiosks, online at KitchenUnited.com, or through the Kitchen United MIX app. They can mix and match items from various national and local restaurants on one order and either pick the food up in-store or have it delivered.

Kroger and Kitchen United announced their partnership last summer. The grocer kicked off the initiative in January, opening its first ghost kitchen space at a Ralphs supermarket in Westwood, Calif.  It opened a second Kitchen United kitchen in February, in a Kroger store in Houston.

"We are always looking for new and unique ways to help our customers answer the 'what's for dinner tonight?" question," said Keith Shoemaker, president of Kroger Dallas Division. "The collaboration with Kitchen United is special because customers' restaurant-quality meal will be crafted while they're shopping for the fresh food and pantry staples their families need."

Including the two Kroger sites, Kitchen United MIX has four locations overall in Texas, including restaurant hubs in Austin and a location in Frisco that opened last month.

"With our proprietary, leading-edge technology, Kitchen United MIX is revolutionizing the way people order takeout, and we couldn't be more excited to introduce this one-of-a-kind experience to Dallas," said Kitchen United CEO Michael Montagano. "We've secured the perfect location near SMU for us to deliver to college students seeking quick, easy meals and serve locals in surrounding neighborhoods who enjoy having delicious options to take home to their family after they get their grocery shopping done."

The Kitchen United collaboration provides the fresh, on-demand meals our customers crave. It is one more innovative example of how Kroger is fulfilling its commitment to anything, anywhere, anytime."

While customers can also order from the restaurants housed in Kitchen United MIX through various third-party delivery platforms, "multi-restaurant ordering" is only available through the Kitchen United MIX ordering platform.