When you pass Gusto Italian Grill & Bar located in Downtown Moncton, chances are you catch yourself imagining a plate of chicken parmigiana or perhaps it’s a slice of cheesecake.
What you might not realize is that in that same building, a kitchen is working to replicate some of the most popular street foods in the world. That’s because 130 Westmorland Street is home to Gusto, as well as a Moncton ghost kitchen called The Standard Global Street Food.
A ghost kitchen sways from the traditional idea of sitting down at a restaurant to an operation that only offers delivery.
“If we can add sales that operate under the same roof, then it just becomes added revenue,” said James Hughes, a Managing Partner at Gusto, The Standard and Captain Dan’s.
The approach can be seen across Canada, with restaurants using ingenuity to battle the financial strain caused by COVID-19.
Hughes first began to entertain the idea while living in Toronto, a city known to offer diverse cuisine.
After moving to New Brunswick and enduring the pandemic restrictions, Hughes and his colleagues launched The Standard in a kitchen just a staircase away from the facility that produces food for Gusto.
“It’s definitely easier to launch a restaurant that’s only online rather than a full brick and mortar because of rent and insurance,” said Hughes.
While the business still has a long road ahead before Hughes will call it a success, he remains optimistic about what the opportunity presents,
“The cool thing about a ghost kitchen is that our creativity is really our only limit,” said Hughes, who teased the possibility of opening another ghost kitchen eventually.
However, with every new opportunity comes a challenge, and for The Standard and many other ghost kitchens, it’s a case of being able to put themselves on the map, “Without a sign on the door, it’s a lot trickier,” said Hughes.
He notes that the experience has shed light on how important it can be for a business to focus on social media marketing.
