The food delivery boom has created a new kind of food business: the dark kitchen — also known as a ghost or cloud kitchen. These delivery-only outlets are disrupting the traditional takeaway model and revolutionising how we order and enjoy food.
For many, dark kitchens represent the future of food delivery. Yet there are growing problems with the food safety regulation of dark kitchens in the UK.
In this post, we uncover the key enforcement gaps, compliance challenges, and food safety risks every operator needs to understand in 2025.
Table of Contents
What is a dark kitchen ?
A dark kitchen is a delivery-only food business with no customer-facing storefront. These kitchens prepare ready-to-eat meals for delivery or takeaway. Usually this is done through third party aggregator platforms like Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo. But social media, mobile apps, and own websites are popular.
Currently there’s no single agreed definition of a dark kitchen. Furthermore, the term ‘dark kitchen’ is used interchangeably with other words (see below) making our understanding of a dark kitchen blurred.
🔹 ghost kitchen 🔹 cloud kitchen 🔹 virtual kitchen 🔹 remote kitchen 🔹 shadow kitchen 🔹 cyber kitchen 🔹 delivery-only restaurant 🔹 home-based dark kitchen.
Did You Know?
What does the ''dark'' in dark kitchen refer to?
It refers to how dark kitchens operate - “out of sight” from the public, with no walk-in service.
Where are dark kitchens found?
Dark kitchens are typically located in non-residential urban areas — from industrial estates to car parks beneath flyovers. These units are designed for high throughput and rapid delivery to local customers.
Increasingly, under-used commercial kitchens are being repurposed. Community halls and wet-led pubs may rent out their kitchens to operators, and even hotels are now leasing their kitchens for use as dark kitchens. Home-based dark kitchens are also growing in popularity, operating inside houses or apartments rather than dedicated commercial spaces.
The shapes and sizes of dark kitchens vary widely. The smallest might be pop-ups or single shipping containers, while medium-sized shared communal spaces are common. At the other end of the scale, large operations such as Deliveroo Editions can house 20–30 kitchens under one roof.
How does the dark kitchen business model work ?
Some dark kitchens are wholly owned. Others are leased by established food businesses to boost capacity or expand into new areas. You will also find dark kitchens run by single operators as on-line only brands.
In addition, co-working spaces are popular. Typically shared space is rented to multiple virtual brand restaurants.
Typically one single dark kitchen can run several “virtual brands” at once. Each with its own menu and name, all listed separately on food delivery apps.
The rise of dark kitchens / cloud kitchens
The UK food delivery market has doubled in value—from £7.6 billion in 2019 to £14.3 billion in 2025 (Lumina Intelligence). The on-line food delivery has become a regular part of life for many.
In comparison, the global dark kitchen market is estimated to be worth £51 billion in 2023 (converted from USD). Forecasts suggest it could exceed £122 billion by 2030. Unsurprisingly, analysts suggest that dark kitchens could eventually command 50% of the global takeaway market.
What is the business case for a cloud or dark kitchen?
The appeal of cloud or dark kitchens is simple. It offers lower overheads, easy access, speed, minimal risk, and flexibility.
Dark kitchens are sited at cheaper, urban locations. They eliminate the need for a dine-in area. This lowers cost—by saving on rent, front-of-house staff, and expensive fit-outs.
The efficiency it offers is important because it provides a fast route to market. New concepts can be trialled and scaled up—or closed down as required.
Unlike traditional restaurant leases, dark kitchens offer short-term agreements. Sometimes require three months upfront and three months’ notice. This is hugely attractive as it offers less financial risk.
Lastly, dark kitchens have become a hotbed for innovation too. Ambitious start-ups, entrepreneurs and established chains all use dark kitchens as an affordable way to grow.
What is the problem in regulating dark kitchens?
Local authority EHOs are struggling to regulate dark kitchens. Not just because dark and cloud kitchens are hard to spot. But because UK food laws haven’t kept pace with this rapidly evolving business model.
One of the biggest problems is the lack of guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Without standards for dark kitchens—it will impact the way EHOs identify, inspect, regulate and enforce food hygiene law. EHOs will end up interpreting requirements differently, resulting in mixed messages. It’s likely that hygiene ratings will be awarded inconsistently, leading to differences in enforcement of food safety.
In the next section we outline the food safety compliance challenges that EHOs and dark kitchen operators experience.
Did You Know?
What is the biggest mistake dark kitchen operators make before they launch?
Registering with the council BEFORE their HACCP documentation is ready!
Read this BEFORE launchingWhat are the key food safety regulatory challenges with dark kitchens?
🔹 Discoverability. It can be difficult for EHOs to identify and monitor dark kitchens. This is because they do not have a store front. And trading names get lost in apps that contain thousands of businesses.
🔹 Registration. EHOs don’t have time to track down every new dark kitchen or virtual brand popping up on delivery apps. Unregistered dark or cloud kitchens have become a significant problem.
🔹 Multiple trading names. Multiple virtual brands from one kitchen often lead to duplicated registration records. This is an administrative headache for EHOs. It slows down food hygiene inspections, follow-ups and investigation of customer complaints.
🔹 Communication difficulties. Language barriers or cautious dark kitchen operators make engagement tough.
🔹 Traceability and outbreak response are more complex. If the app’s trading name doesn’t match council records it hampers EHO investigations of food poisoning.
🔹 The working hours of dark kitchens are often unknown. This makes it difficult for EHOs to schedule inspections.
What are the key food safety challenges for dark kitchen operators ?
The food safety compliance challenges that dark kitchen operators face have been categorised into 1) Regulatory Compliance and 2) Food Safety Management or HACCP Challenges.
Regulatory Compliance (or HACCP) Challenges
🔹 Food Safety Registration. Many operators are completely unaware of their legal duty to register a dark kitchen.
🔹Registration Avoidance. Some social media sellers are “ghost” sellers. These business owners avoid registration by selling through social channels. There is no disclosed physical address.
🔹 Fake Food Hygiene Ratings. Some social sellers display false stickers to provide trust to online customers. See our post: False Hygiene Rating (FHRS) Stickers – What It Means for You. This fuels the negative perception and public distrust of dark kitchens.
If you’re selling food on Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms—or even from your home—you must register as a food business. Learn more in our guide to Registering a Food Business as a Social Seller.
Food Safety Management (or HACCP) Challenges
🔹 Premises and layout. Shared kitchens might not have proper zoning or clear separation between raw and ready-to-eat food. This increases the risk of cross-contamination and makes HACCP compliance ineffective.
🔹 Hygiene and cleaning. Standards often slip under the pressure of fulfilling multiple brands’ orders quickly. If one operator’s hygiene rating drops in a shared space, it can compromise food safety for all businesses operating there.
🔹 Allergen control. With changing menus and multiple brands, documentation like allergen charts can fall behind reality. When menus are updated, it can take two days for changes to appear on the app, which puts customers at risk.
🔹 Staff training. Poor training can create serious risks for customers, especially for individuals with allergies or intolerances.
🔹 Transparency for customers. Unless businesses publish their Food Hygiene Rating online, many customers are left in the dark about food hygiene standards.
🔹 Lack of accountability. In shared dark kitchens, it’s not always clear who is responsible for food safety and hygiene on a day to day-to-day.
In summary, food safety compliance gaps in dark kitchens can have severe consequences for customer safety. To ensure the success of a dark kitchen – food safety compliance needs to be taken seriously.
What practical steps can dark kitchen operators take right now?
As a responsible operator, you can protect your business reputation and the safety of your customers by prioritising the following actions:
🔹 Keep registration and trading names up to date. Make sure every virtual brand is linked to your main business registration. Inform your council when launching a new dark kitchen.
🔹 Be transparent with your Food Hygiene Rating. Publish your rating on your website and all app profiles—don’t leave customers guessing. Customer trust is key for your business to survive and grow.
🔹 Stay on top of allergen management. Provide an accurate, up to date allergen matrix for your brand. Every menu or brand change should trigger an allergen review and a staff briefing. Don’t forget delivery drivers – they have an important role to play in allergen management too.
🔹 Design kitchens for safe flow. Use clear zoning and colour coding to keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate. This is especially important in shared or cramped spaces.
🔹 Build cleaning and HACCP monitoring checks into daily routines. Don’t let standards slip during the rush. Assign roles and set reminders.
🔹 Invest in regular training. Keep refreshers short and relevant—especially for agency or temporary staff. Use food safety culture and behaviour change methods to boost staff compliance. Especially important as staff are unsupervised.
🔹 Keep documentation real. Food safety paperwork must reflect what’s actually happening on the ground—not just what’s written in your Food Safety Management System or Safer Food Better Business pack.
By following these steps you will not only protect your customers—but your inspections with the regulator will be smoother too. Read our EHO Survival Guide.
Final Thoughts
Dark kitchens aren’t going away — but the law and official advice need to catch up. Until then, businesses that prioritise transparency, and tighten their food safety compliance will be best placed to protect customers, avoid pitfalls, and build trust.
Book a Clear Path to Compliance call for expert, practical advice—tailored to your dark kitchen.
Get in touch today: [email protected]. Call us on: 02920 026 566
Dr Julie Rasmussen
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do virtual brands need separate registration?
No. However, all trading names — including ghost, cloud, and shadow brands — must be linked to your registered premises and kept up to date with your local authority. This ensures transparency under UK food safety regulations.
How do we show our Food Hygiene Rating with no shopfront?
Publish your Food Hygiene Rating on your website, delivery app profiles, and social media pages. This keeps customers informed and demonstrates compliance with food safety transparency rules.
What if our app brand doesn't match our registered business name?
Inform your local authority of all trading names, and make sure your Food Hygiene Rating is linked to the names customers see on delivery platforms. This avoids confusion and ensures ratings are correctly displayed.
Are home-based social media dark kitchens allowed?
Yes — but you must register with your local authority and comply with food safety regulations. Home kitchens are inspected in the same way as commercial premises. For more on this, read our guide Registering your food business as a social seller.
References
Food Standards Agency. (2021). Food in the digital platform economy – making sense of a dynamic ecosystem. Accessed on-line on 6 Oct 2025 from https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/Platforms%20ExecSumm%20FSA%20May%202021_accessibility_checked.pdf.
Laheri, Z. et al. (2025). ‘Going dark’ or under the radar? Challenges and opportunities for local authorities and dark kitchens in ensuring food safety. Food Control. 172, p. 111179.
Laheri, Z. et al. (2025). The rise of dark kitchens: Characteristics and operational challenges. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science 40, p 101142.
Nield et al. (2025). What are ‘dark kitchens’? A consensus definition from public, local authority, business and academic stakeholders in the United Kingdom. Perspectives in Public Health. Published on-line on 23 Sept 2025. Accessed on-line on 7.Oct. 2025.