CINCINNATI and INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 8,
2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR),
America's largest grocery retailer, today announced the launch of
two on-premise kitchens, respectively at stores in Metro
Indianapolis, IN and Metro
Columbus, OH. Developed in
partnership with ClusterTruck, a technology start-up that operates
delivery-only restaurants, the kitchens will provide a variety of
freshly prepared meals on-demand with no service or delivery
fees.
"Kroger remains focused on providing our customers with fresh food
and experiences enabled by industry-leading insights"
Kroger and ClusterTruck's on-premise kitchens were developed
from the momentum and insights of an informative
pilot launched in December 2019
in Carmel and Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. Different from the off-premise
concept, the new concept will repurpose approximately 1,000 square
feet at each participating store to create a culinary space
for ClusterTruck staff to prepare meals for quick delivery and
in-store pickup. Customers can order from a menu of more than 80
meals, spanning a variety of ingredients – and best characterized
as food quality you can get at a sit-down restaurant with the
personality of street food.
"Kroger remains focused on providing our customers with fresh
food and experiences enabled by industry-leading insights and
transformative technology," said Dan De La
Rosa, Kroger's group vice president of fresh merchandising.
"The new on-premise kitchen, in partnership with ClusterTruck, is
an innovation that streamlines ordering, preparation and delivery,
supporting Kroger as we meet the sustained customer demand for
quick, fresh restaurant-quality meals, especially as we navigate an
unprecedented health crisis that has affected every aspect of our
lives, including mealtime."
The expansion of Kroger's relationship with ClusterTruck
reflects the retailer's ongoing investments in providing a variety
of prepared fresh food options and creating a seamless experience
for customers. Kroger experienced a 127% digital sales lift in
second quarter 2020, as customers continued to use digital ordering
options, including pickup, delivery, and ship to home.
Indianapolis-based ClusterTruck
is a pioneer in the ghost kitchen space, building a proprietary
software system that creates custom algorithms to optimize kitchen
and delivery operations and removes the pain points of the
third-party delivery model. ClusterTruck's systematic approach to
meal delivery allows the company to ensure all orders are delivered
to the customer within just 7 minutes of preparation — and on
average, less than 30 minutes of ordering. The combination of
ClusterTruck's innovative technology platform, optimization of meal
delivery, and launch at Kroger stores has the potential to create a
new and more sustainable model.
"ClusterTruck combines leading software, high-quality
ingredients, and delicious variety to elevate the prepared food
delivery experience," said Chris
Baggott, ClusterTruck co-founder and CEO. "As the prepared
food delivery category continues to explode, we're thrilled to play
such a pivotal role in Kroger's fresh and forward-thinking meal
delivery strategy."
Kroger's first on-premise kitchen is now open in Fishers, IN (9799 East 116th Street). Later
this year, the second location will open in Dublin, Ohio (7625 Sawmill Road).
Media Assets
To download photography of the on-premise
kitchen, please visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our
Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across
our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve
over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping
experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed
to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more
about us, visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
About ClusterTruck
Co-founded in
2015, ClusterTruck launched its first kitchen in
Indianapolis in
2016. ClusterTruck is a software platform that drives
profitable, vertically integrated delivery-only kitchens. With
locations in Indianapolis,
Carmel, Broad Ripple and
Fishers, Indiana; Columbus and Dublin,
Ohio; and Kansas City,
Missouri, ClusterTruck is revolutionizing prepared food
delivery from click, to cook, to curb. Get more information and see
the menu at ClusterTruck.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kroger-launches-on-premise-ghost-kitchens-in-partnership-with-clustertruck-301148388.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.