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Kroger brings ClusterTruck ‘ghost kitchens’ on-premise for meal delivery

Supermarkets in Indianapolis and Dublin, Ohio, house delivery-only restaurants

Russell Redman

October 8, 2020

3 Min Read
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One ClusterTruck kitchen has opened inside a Kroger store in Fishers, Ind., and another is slated to open later this year at a Kroger Marketplace store in Dublin, Ohio.Kroger/ClusterTruck

Following a successful pilot, The Kroger Co. is launching two “ghost kitchens” with partner ClusterTruck inside stores in metropolitan Indianapolis and outside Columbus, Ohio, for on-demand delivery of fresh-made meals.

Unlike off-premise “dark kitchens” or commissaries, the on-premise concept repurposes about 1,000 square feet of space at each store to create a culinary area for ClusterTruck staff to prepare meals for quick delivery and in-store pickup, Kroger said Thursday. Customers can order online from a menu of more than 80 meals.

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The on-premise concept USES about 1,000 square feet of space at each store to create a culinary area for ClusterTruck staff to prepare meals for delivery and in-store pickup.

So far, one on-premise kitchen has been opened in the Kroger supermarket in Fishers, Ind. Plans call for the second facility to open in the Kroger Marketplace store in Dublin, Ohio, later this year.

Kroger and ClusterTruck announced in December that they were testing service — dubbed Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck — via off-site “scratch kitchens” in Columbus and Indianapolis as well as in Carmel, Ind., where the companies jointly opened a kitchen. At the time, they also said Kroger’s King Soopers supermarket chain offered the ClusterTruck meal delivery service through a kitchen in Denver.

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According to ClusterTruck, all orders are delivered to customers within seven minutes of preparation and, on average, less than 30 minutes after ordering.

The ClusterTruck service carries no service or delivery fees. Kroger described the offering as “food quality you can get at a sit-down restaurant with the personality of street food.” The Cincinnati-based grocer noted that the ClusterTruck partnership reflects ongoing efforts to invest in prepared fresh food and online options. In the second quarter, Kroger said it saw digital sales surge 127% year over year as customers continued to order online, using its pickup, delivery and ship-to-home services.

Related:Kroger, ClusterTruck team on ‘dark kitchen’ meal delivery

“Kroger remains focused on providing our customers with fresh food and experiences enabled by industry-leading insights and transformative technology,” Dan De La Rosa, group vice president of fresh merchandising at Kroger, said in a statement. “The new on-premise kitchen, in partnership with ClusterTruck, is an innovation that streamlines ordering, preparation and delivery, supporting Kroger as we meet the sustained customer demand for quick, fresh restaurant-quality meals, especially as we navigate an unprecedented health crisis that has affected every aspect of our lives, including mealtime.”

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Kroger said the ClusterTruck meal service removes 'the pain points of the third-party delivery model.'

Based in Indianapolis, ClusterTruck owns and operates vertically integrated, delivery-only kitchens in the Broad Ripple and downtown sections of Indianapolis; Carmel and Fishers, Ind.; downtown Columbus; Kansas City, Mo.; and Denver. Its ghost kitchens are powered by a proprietary software system that uses custom algorithms to optimize kitchen and delivery operations, in turn removing “the pain points of the third-party delivery model,” according to Kroger.

Related:Loblaw teams up with local restaurants for meal kit delivery

ClusterTruck said all orders are delivered to customers within seven minutes of preparation and, on average, less than 30 minutes after ordering. Customers place orders online at KrogerDeliveryKitchen.com (KingSoopersDeliveryKitchen.com in Denver) or via the ClusterTruck mobile app. Menu offerings range from breakfast, salad and soup to rice and noodle dishes, wings, pizza, “grubfare” (burgers, wraps, sandwiches, gyro, mac and cheese, etc.), Latino entrees (burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc.), sides, children’s meals, beverages and desserts.

“ClusterTruck combines leading software, high-quality ingredients, and delicious variety to elevate the prepared food delivery experience,” ClusterTruck co-founder and CEO Chris Baggott stated. “As the prepared food delivery category continues to explode, we’re thrilled to play such a pivotal role in Kroger's fresh and forward-thinking meal delivery strategy.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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