The Kroger Co., which operates nearly 1,400 grocery stores in the U.S., is officially in the restaurant industry thanks to a partnership with Kitchen United, a provider of off-premise restaurant kitchens. The agreement allows Kroger stores to feature up to six local, regional or national restaurant brands.

"Our customers' appetite for fresh, on-demand meals continues to accelerate, and we remain focused on offering new and innovative products that provide anything, anytime, anywhere," Dan De La Rosa, Kroger's group vice president of fresh merchandising, said in a company press release. "Our partnership with Kitchen United taps into restaurants' growing use of off-premise kitchen space to increase customers' access to their favorite foods."

When placing an order using the Kitchen United website or app or on-site via ordering kiosks, customers may select items from each on-site restaurant to create a customized order on a single receipt. Restaurant staff will prepare the orders, and third-party providers will set delivery service fees.

"As we continue to define Kroger as a food destination, this collaboration creates another seamless way for our customers to order lunch or dinner for pick up while they shop for groceries or for delivery to their location of choice," Craig Gauden, Kroger's director of partnership development, said in the release.

The first kitchen center is expected to open this fall at a Ralphs store in Los Angeles, with additional locations expected later this year.

"Our work together provides participating restaurants access to millions of Kroger customers and the ability to better address off-premise demand in a convenient supermarket format — a frequent destination for most consumers," Michael Montagano, CEO of Kitchen United, said in the release. "We've worked collaboratively with the Kroger team to curate a mix of popular restaurant brands, and we see a great opportunity to introduce our partnership in cities across the country."

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