VANCOUVER — Club Kitchen, a facility that will offer 13 private and fully equipped, turnkey kitchens in a single location, is slated to open in early 2023 at Yaletown at The Arc in Vancouver. The facility will provide a more affordable option for restaurants looking to access the downtown market, as well as shared management and reduced start-up, purchasing and operating costs.
The idea is being led by JJ Fraser and Hugh Carbery, two restaurant industry leaders with extensive experience managing and launching brands across North America, and backed by Club Kitchen investor Terry Hui, CEO of Concord Pacific.
The delivery-focused kitchen spaces range from 200 sq. ft. to 350 sq. ft. Operators will be able to start cooking and generating profits right away, without the process of designing, constructing and opening a restaurant. Each unit has its own cooking area, sink, dishwasher and more. The project team has already secured partnerships with suppliers such as Sysco, Gordon Food Services, Foodbuy Canada, Russell Hendrix and Procter & Gamble, as well as delivery companies such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes.
“It’s a creative use of real estate and tech,” said Hui in a press release. “It would certainly reduce barriers to entry for new food entrepreneurs and let them focus on their food concepts.”
“Our ideal operator is maybe a restaurant brand that already exists outside of downtown Vancouver that wants a footprint in a premium location,” says JJ Fraser. “But they don’t want to spend downtown dollars on building that out. We provide the option to get into a space for $50,000, which takes care of all capital expenses and lowers the entry point and risk for a premium location,” noting the traditional route costs $300,000 to $500,000.
