How to open a virtual restaurant effectively 

One of the more interesting benefits of the virtual restaurant for patrons and business owners is how powerful data can be to the dining experience. There’s no denying the impact data has had on other industries. Marketers can deliver strategic ads to users based on their search history, websites they frequent, and other demographic data they make publicly available. Online retailers can even use purchasing data to send sales notifications or recommendations to customers.

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Traditional restaurants seem to struggle with data collection and management; after all, it's virtually impossible to effectively track a person’s order, their opinion of the meal, and then interpret that in a meaningful way to improve their experience next time. Virtual restaurants now allow owners to collect and manage data more effectively—which they can use to make better strategic decisions.

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Virtual restaurant partners are also using data to improve the user experience. For instance, UberEATS, a prominent food-delivery service, noticed that users in a Chicago neighborhood were frequently searching “chicken” in their mobile application with few results available. UberEATS contacted a local pizzeria, Si-Pie Pizzeria, to notify the owner of the high demand for chicken in the area. The owner created a virtual restaurant, Si’s Chicken Kitchen, using the same kitchen space as their pizzeria. The virtual restaurant generates about $1,000 a week—delivering more fried chicken than pizza for the owner.