How to Make your Virtual Pizza Kitchen Stand Out

Are you running a virtual pizza kitchen and looking for new ways to differentiate yourself from your competitors? You’ve come to the right place.  Today we share our tips on how you can maximise your virtual pizza kitchen to stand out from the saturated crowd.

But first, what is a virtual kitchen? 

A virtual kitchen is also commonly known as a dark or ghost kitchen. In short, it is an off-site kitchen that operates similar to a commercial restaurant kitchen, minus the physical dining space and storefront. Virtual kitchens rely on external food delivery services to bring their foods to their customers, with no need for physical contact. Perfect for this day and age!

Virtual kitchens are booming due to their low start-up costs and low capital expenditure. Learn more about whether you should start your own virtual kitchen here and how to get started today by browsing our Start Up Kit below.

Gourmet Pizzas

Step away from the saturated market of traditional pizzas and make yourself known for your unique and gourmet pizzas, found nowhere else but at your venue! Introducing gourmet pizzas in your venue will give your store a strong point of difference between your competitors and even allows you to mark your pizzas at a premium price point, with no questions asked.

Consumers are willing to spend more on foods they deem worth the quality, especially when paired with exquisite taste and premium, seasonal ingredients.

Here are some ways you can premiumise your pizzas:

• Use seasonal ingredients
• Use quality, hard to find ingredients
• Have a rotating pizza roster (Weekly or monthly special)
• Mixing unexpected flavours
• Creating fusion pizzas inspired by International cuisines
• Lavish dessert pizzas

Diet & Allergen Friendly

As a virtual kitchen, you are exposed to a wider demographic of virtual consumers, therefore you should always be thinking outside of the box when it comes to pizzas that cater to dietary requirements.  Having a pizza recipe that suits a customer’s dietary needs may be the deciding factor between you and your competitor.

Once you showcase your inclusive pizzas on your virtual ordering platform, you have the added benefit of reaching consumers who are filtering my dietary requirements. You now have the upper hand on your competitors!

Here are some dietary requirements you should cater to:

• Vegetarian – we recommend any of our Artisan Pizza Bases
• Vegan – we recommend our Plain and Vegetable Pizza Bases
• Gluten-Free
• Halal

Pizza Sets

Follow the steps of a premium dining venue and create set pizza menus for your customers to select from when ordering for groups. Having a set pizza menu will allow your kitchen staff to quickly and effectively prep and prepare large orders.

You have the freedom to offer premium pizza sets or value pizza sets. This makes it easier for customers to order and will allow them to taste new items on your menu.

Here’s what we recommend you include in your sets – you pick and choose:

• Gourmet Pizzas
• Limited Edition Pizzas
• Lavish Dessert Pizzas
• Sides
• Entrée
• Drinks

Fast Service Promise

What’s better than fast service when you order pizza online? We can’t think of anything better! If you’re up to the challenge, offer your customers a fast service promise or, simply adjust your cooking time to beat your competitors. 

If you’re offering faster service than your major competitors, customers who want food fast will be buying from you first. Find out how you can speed up your pizza service here. Fast service means more happy and satisfied customers, and who doesn’t want that?

Added Convenience

These days, it’s all about convenience, even when it comes to purchasing pizzas. Make sure you’ve got your customer’s needs covered by offering solutions to unexpected situations and occasions. 

Here are some purchasing options you can add to your pizza menu that may come in handy and give you leverage over your competitors:

• Offer custom designs and messaging on pizzas – whatever the celebration, offer a set of designed pizzas that customers can order for that special occasion. For example, a heart-shaped pepperoni pizza for Valentine’s Day or a custom dessert pizza for that last minute birthday celebration.
• Along with this, add party supplies like candles or beer-pong packages for last-minute parties
• Sell large bottles of soft drinks instead of a can or small bottle for those looking to keep them on-hand at home or for parties

5 Star Review 

Having a high customer rating can help boost your virtual pizza kitchen on food delivery apps, or even get you awarded. To encourage your customers to give you a positive review on your page, ensure you give them an incentive to do so.

Here are ways you can do that:

• Include a loyalty card inside their order when they review your venue
• Include a discount incentive inside their order to like your social media
• Ask them to rate you via the delivery app through a card in their order

There are many starter tips you can adopt on your way to a successful virtual kitchen. Read our full start-up kit below, where we detail the basics that can help you stand out from the crowd – photography techniques, delivery apps, and much more.

Contact us via office@3keysglobal.com for recipes ideas or for help with activation tips unique to your venue!