Four delis in New York City are reportedly operating under at least 76 different restaurant names on the delivery app Seamless, according to Upper East Site.
Virtual restaurants, also known as ghost kitchens, are becoming increasingly common in the digital age. Eater confirmed which delis were reportedly engaged in this practice by checking which restaurants on Seamless listed the same physical address. In one example cited by the outlet, East Side Market, located at 1463 York Avenue, reportedly had at least 18 other restaurants attached to the same address, including Fatties Philly Cheesesteaks, Baker’s Boys Breakfast Sandwiches, Jay’s Breakfast Bar, Croissant Club, and others.
Delivery apps like Grubhub and Seamless reportedly encourage businesses to operate under multiple names “as a way for owners to maximize their revenues and appear in more places on their apps,” Eater reported.
Some on Twitter applauded the “hustle” while others were not so enthusiastic about the report.
Now that’s a hustle.
Is it now possible for a household to pretend to be a restaurant and do its own deliveries?
You could make a killing with a tactical menu you can bulk produce. https://t.co/snvpF8le8v
— Ben King (@Grimeandreason) May 3, 2023
Awful. This is awful.
— NKinNewEng (@NKinNewEng) May 3, 2023
Eater noted that the practice is widespread, with other well-known restaurants also reportedly having participated.