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Comment by chewz | Hacker News Reader

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chewz·

Dark kitchens - the quality is shit, that's how. Plus slave work.

https://www.sustainweb.org/jelliedeel/articles/dark_kitchens...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/09/dark-k...

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I really don't get the whole negativity about "dark kitchens". There is nothing wrong in theory with a delivery-only restaurant, and there are clear cost savings that can be passed on to the consumer.

Articles such as the ones you cited talk about the stifling "windowless boxes" but restaurant kitchens have never been windowed comfortable places. At least in the UK these kitchens are subject to the same hygiene and labour laws as any other place where food is prepared. They seem to want to imply that "dark kitchens" flout these laws but I've yet to see any evidence.

In third countries with lax food safety regulation i feel they matter. When there are more layers of separation between you and your end customer i think its human nature that you will be little less vigiliant / anxious about seeing a cockroach or rat in your kitchen. At some point it isalmost anonymous like an internet crime.

dumb article, no pictures of the kitchens. Who tf cares if their food was made in a container vs. the back of a restaurant as long as it's sanitary? Guess where the meat in your supermarket comes from or the processed food you eat? Not a particularly appetizing, homey environment there either

That article doesn't make any claims about the quality or the labor except to quote a chef saying that "conditions in a container kitchen are probably better than in many traditional restaurant kitchens."

Plus massive VC investment I’d assume, but freely admit I don’t know for sure.

This doesn’t answer the question because it’s relative to the price of buying at the restaurant. Who is losing the 80% of normal cost? Is it the restaurant or the delivery company?

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