GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Owners say “ghost restaurants” grown during the coronavirus pandemic are here to stay, even as Grand Rapids restaurants prepare to reopen their dining rooms beginning Monday,
When COVID-19 forced restaurants to close in mid-March, some owners quickly adapted by using their empty kitchens and a skeleton crew to answer growing demand for takeout comfort food. The concept is called a ghost restaurant.
Anthony Tangorra, owner of 9th Street Steaks and Pronto Pasta ghost restaurants explained, “If you come down here, the signs say New Hotel Mertens everywhere. But we actually run another restaurant under that same kitchen — a different brand, a siloed brand."
Co-owner Mark Sellers with Max’s South Seas Hideaway said he noticed the ghost restaurant trend in big cities and thought he would try it here.
All the owners News 8 spoke with agree that while ghost restaurants can’t replace the revenue they lost during the months long shutdown, they help pay bills and create new opportunities.