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Echo Park Eats is a ghost kitchen, a meal preparation hub for app-based delivery orders.

Another solution presented by Soto-Martínez would use geofencing technology to immediately keep drivers at least 1,000 feet from the ghost kitchen, prohibiting drivers from loitering on the block while they wait to claim a delivery.

Like most fast-food chains, the menu at every MLB ghost kitchen is identical, right down to sandwiches served on the same soft pretzel bun.

The result was an explosion in the growth of the so-called ghost kitchen and its close cousin, the virtual brand, or a restaurant that has no physical space and operates online only.

It’s also adapted its business model to pandemic-era lifestyle changes, with delivery, “ghost kitchen,” and drive-thru features for customers seeking quick lunches and dinners while working from home; you may be surprised to learn that less than 20 percent of its locations lie in “high-footfall cities” where office commuters walk about for lunch outings.