Hobart’s virtual restaurants: Uber Eats, Menulog trend picks up in Tasmania

Four different restaurants run out of the same kitchen, cafes doubling as multi-cuisine takeaways and burger joints run from suburban homes. SEE THE LIST of where your online orders are really coming from >>

Kasey Wilkins and Cas Garvey

4 min read

March 22, 2021 - 10:53AM

Tasmania

Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.

A cafe-by-day and souvlaki takeaway by night, a pizza and burger joint running from a three-bedroom house and three different restaurants from Coffee Club’s kitchen.

Hobartians may be surprised to know that some of their online takeaway orders are coming from restaurants without a physical store at all.

According to Uber Eats, virtual restaurants are deliver-focused concepts that restaurants can run out of their current kitchen, giving businesses another way to try out new cuisines or dishes without opening up a brick and mortar location.

In North Hobart, a number of listings all run through the same address.

From a kitchen at 323a Elizabeth Street, diners can order a wide array of dishes from ‘virtual restaurants’ Pancake Paradise, Nutella Delight and Pizza Waffle Bar.

Over on the Eastern Shore, multiple listings and cuisines run out of the Coffee Club Eastlands kitchen including Burgs & Shakes, Sir Benedict and Kore-Fried all available via Uber Eats.

And a restaurant called Fusion Cafe — offering pizza, waffles and burgers — appears to operate out of an ordinary house in Mount Nelson.

In an undisclosed kitchen in Glenorchy, Burgers with Bite serves up tasty burgers solely sold through Uber Eats.

Minor DKL Group international and emerging brands general manager Jarrod Appleby said the service had been very popular with Tasmanians, with the store being in the top 20 per cent of sites when it comes to sales.

Burgers with Bite is a virtual restaurant on Uber Eats.

Burgers with Bite’s Outback Stack burger.

“This must mean that Tasmanians really like a good burger and love food delivered to them at home,” he said.

The business saw increased orders during the pandemic, with delivery services becoming popular due to restrictions around dining in.

“We initially launched our first virtual concept Burgers with Bite in early 2019, so we were well placed to meet the extra volume and deliver great food to our customers. This a COVID-born initiative, rather a pandemic accelerated outcome.”

He said the biggest benefit of operating a “virtual” shop was lower costs and limited barriers to set up the brand, using existing kitchen facilities.

“Through virtual concepts we are also able to quickly test different ideas and menu items nationally rather than building a physical shopfronts which would be slower and costly,” he said.

Burgers with Bite is a virtual restaurant on Uber Eats.

“In addition, virtual brands allow us to diversify our product offer, expanding the types of customers that order through our restaurants and leverage different day-parts that would usually be less busy. We are also able to use our virtual brands to collect customer insights and to trial new products.”

An Uber spokeswoman said they placed a lot of value on establishing long-term relationships with all restaurant partners and wanted their businesses to succeed.

“Local restaurants across Tasmania chose to be on our platform because it helps them to grow their business and reach new customers with a fast, reliable and efficient delivery option.”

Uber Eats promotes virtual restaurants on their websites, saying businesses that launched virtual outlets typically saw a sales increase of more than 50%.

“Virtual restaurants are delivery-focused concepts you can run out of your current kitchen, optimised with Uber Eats data,” its website states.

“This allows you to connect to delivery people using the Uber Eats platform, giving restaurants like yours an additional way to feed local demand without the risk of opening a new brick-and-mortar.”

‘Virtual restaurant’ doubles business

As he flipped the closed sign on his cafe one afternoon in the midst of COVID lockdown, farewelled his skeleton staff and looked at his empty kitchen, Kostas Grillas had an idea.

Kosta Grillas, owner of Souv Road. Picture: Eddie Safarik

Hobartians were stuck at home: What if he could cook up lunch and dinner options using his Coterie and Co cafe’s kitchen and serve them via delivery apps?

So his “virtual restaurant” Souv Road was born: Serving authentically Greek dishes, using family recipes and even serving up his YaYa’s handmade desserts.

A few months on, his virtual venture is going so well Mr Grillas and his expanded team are now looking at renting a physical restaurant space in the city.

“Souvlaki was something I always wanted to do given my heritage but it was COVID that inspired me to start the virtual store,” Mr Grillas said.

Kosta Grillas with his grandparents Sasa and Spiros Tsangaris. Picture: Eddie Safarik

“For me I wanted to trial it without putting too much cost behind it and paying rent and the cost of a full fit-out, so it was a cheap way to set it up … but now within the next six months because things are going so well I’m hoping to relocate and find a shopfront.”

The Greek restaurateur said lockdown saw a real shift in people’s habits, with many Hobartians still working from home and buying online.

“Obviously COVID has slowed down the hospitality game across the state so you have to adapt and reinvent … there’s only so much you can do to keep your turnover up,” Mr Grillas said.

“It’s definitely been stressful; you have to think about getting new staff and create a new process inside your kitchen so it’s been a lot of hard work in the background to get to where it is.”

So where are Hobart’s ‘Ghost restaurants’?

323a Elizabeth Street