Local Kitchens, a pioneering digital food hall concept that brings together a diverse mix of award-winning Bay Area restaurant brands under one roof for convenient takeout or delivery, has launched with locations in Lafayette, San Jose and Cupertino. Customers can create a customized meal from any of the restaurant partners, mixing and matching cuisines to suit every craving and every palate — from comfort food to vegan, and vegetarian. Foodies, families and groups will delight at the unparalleled choice, convenience and flexibility.
Local Kitchens is the brainchild of CEO Jon Goldsmith, COO Andrew Munday (former DoorDash colleagues) and CTO Jordan Bramble. Armed with insider knowledge of the food delivery industry, the entrepreneurs have transformed the concept of a food hall for the digital age, with seamless, contactless ordering through its website or in-store kiosk.
“When COVID forced the world to shelter in place, we wanted to find a way to help San Francisco restaurateurs reach their customers who were no longer commuting into the City,” says Jon Goldsmith, CEO and Co-founder of Local Kitchens. “We’ve partnered with great San Francisco restaurants to help them expand to new cities and thrive in pandemic and post-pandemic times.”
Each location features 8-10 restaurants curated by Local Kitchens to reflect the diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area’s cuisine and the people within its communities. Current restaurant partners include Curry Up Now (Indian street food), Glaze (teriyaki grill), Humphry Slocombe (ice cream), The Little Chihuahua (sustainable Mexican), MIXT (gourmet salads), Proposition Chicken (chicken sandwiches, salads, and entrees), Saucy Asian (made-to-order mash-ups of Korean, Latin & Californian flavors), Señor Sisig (Filipino street food) and Wise Sons (deli-style breakfast, brunch and lunch).
“Curry Up Now is thrilled to accelerate our expansion plans with Local Kitchens and bring our food to more Bay Area communities. Cupertino is one of our most requested cities to open a location. We are very excited about this new opening,” says Akash Kapoor, founder and CEO of Curry Up Now.
Local Kitchens puts the customer in charge: whether placing an order online or in-person, the clean and simple menu interface enables users to create a personalized meal. In-person visitors use a touch-screen kiosk to browse the menu and order food with a few simple taps before paying via a credit card reader. Within minutes, customers receive a text message alert when their order is ready.
Unlike a ghost kitchen, a warehouse facility intended solely to prepare meals for delivery, each Local Kitchens site features a storefront and a dedicated takeout customer experience with staff hired from the local communities. All menu items are cooked on-site by Local Kitchens’ chefs, who have been meticulously trained by their restaurant partners. Customers can be assured of the perfect execution of each dish and a consistently high-quality experience, whether visiting the individual restaurant or ordering takeout via Local Kitchens.
“Our staff is highly engaged with the Local Kitchens’ team to ensure the perfect execution of our offerings,” says Ari Feingold, owner of Proposition Chicken. “Quality and consistency are top priorities for us, and Local Kitchens seamlessly delivers on both aspects.”
Local Kitchens is open in San Jose (address: 1721 Rogers Ave.) from 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Monday – Sunday. Lafayette (address: 3455 Mt. Diablo Blvd.) is open from 8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sunday – Wednesday and 8 a.m. 12 a.m. Thursday – Saturday. Cupertino (address: 21666 Stevens Creek Blvd.) is open from 8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Monday – Sunday.
