Kitopi provides shared cloud kitchens and comprehensive kitchen management services, enabling partner restaurants to expand their delivery operations. It also offers a proprietary technology platform that streamlines operations and optimizes delivery logistics.
This business model has proven to be successful, allowing kitopi to rapidly scale and grow its software development team. However, it has not been without challenges.
1. Access to a global network of restaurants
Founded by Mohamad Ballout, Saman Darkan, Bader Ataya and Andres Arenas in January 2018, kitopi operates a network of 75+ cloud kitchens, procuring ingredients, cooking food and delivering it on behalf of brands. This’restaurant as a service’ business model is set to thrive in NYC, where high rents and shrinking margins have restaurants looking for new ways to grow off-premises.
Dubai-based ‘cloud kitchen’ kitopi is the world’s largest managed kitchen network. It’s on a mission to satisfy the world’s appetite. Its founder and CEO, Mohamad Ballout, gave CNBC’s Hadley Gamble a tour of one of its smart kitchens to show how it does it. It’s all about speed, accuracy and data, he says. They use data to predict when drivers will arrive, which menu items take longer to cook and to automatically sequence them accordingly in order to improve delivery speeds. This translates into higher customer satisfaction and lower operational costs for restaurants. It also makes it easier for them to scale up and expand their footprint.
2. Efficient kitchen management
Efficient kitchens keep staff focused on the food and the customers. They also help to reduce back-of-house mistakes, which can have major repercussions for the restaurant’s revenue.
One of the most important things to do is to map out how your kitchen is laid out. Take the time to observe your kitchen on a busy night and note any areas where bottlenecking happens or congestion builds up. This will help you determine how to improve your kitchen layout for maximum efficiency.
Kitopi’s managed cloud kitchen model helps restaurants expand their delivery reach without investing in new locations. The company provides the infrastructure, management services, call support, and delivery logistics so that restaurants can focus on growing their business. This also allows them to negotiate better deals with suppliers or delivery operators. They can also leverage Kitopi’s advanced technology platform SKOS to optimize kitchen operations and ensure that orders are delivered in the most efficient way.
3. Data-driven decision-making
In the food industry, where brands are battling to attract and retain consumers in an increasingly competitive environment, data is vital. kitopi provides a centralized platform that provides critical insights to help businesses make informed decisions and maximize their growth potential.
Founded in January 2018 in Dubai, UAE, kitopi is a tech-enabled multi-brand food company on a mission to satisfy the world’s appetite. The company partners with restaurants and food brands using a cloud kitchen model, which enables them to expand their delivery services without the burden of owning and operating their own physical locations.
The company’s growth has been largely driven by its scalable software solutions, which optimize cloud kitchen operations in real time. To meet their ambitious growth plans, the company needed to hire a large number of engineers quickly and efficiently. To achieve this, they worked with MOTIFE to create a tailored Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) model.
4. Flexibility
In a business like theirs, which has seen the hospitality industry disrupted by coronavirus shutdowns and shift in consumer behaviour, flexibility is key. HSBC’s API solution helps Kitopi move funds and pay their suppliers and staff in line with their cash management policies while also enhancing transparency, automation, security and process efficiency.
As a tech-enabled, customer-obsessed company, Kitopi is constantly on the lookout for the best talent to join their teams. That’s why they partnered with HSBC to conduct job sizing and market benchmark studies. The team then developed compensation structures that are in line with the company’s reward philosophy.
In order to maintain a competitive advantage, Kitopi also launched their software development hub in Krakow, Poland. The decision was driven by several factors including the availability of a skilled workforce, similar time zones and attractive rates. This has helped them to scale their IT department to 57 software developers within a short period of time.