Food & Beverage

3 digital food halls open in San Francisco Bay area

Local Kitchens are opening in 3 areas of the San Francisco Bay region. (Photo provided)

April 16, 2021

Local Kitchens, a digital food hall, has launched locations in Lafayette, San Jose and Cupertino, California, bringing a mix of award-winning Bay Area restaurant brands under one roof for takeout or delivery, according to a press release.

Customers can create a customized meal from any of the restaurant partners, mixing and matching cuisines, from comfort food and meaty selections, to vegan and vegetarian.

Local Kitchens is the brainchild of CEO Jon Goldsmith, COO Andrew Munday (former DoorDash colleagues) and CTO Jordan Bramble. and the entrepreneurs took the food hall idea to the next level with 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," Goldsmith said in the release. "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 eight to 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," Curry Up Now Founder and CEO Akash Kapoor said in the release.

In-person visitors use a touch-screen kiosk to browse the menu and order food with a few 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 trained by their restaurant partners.

"Our staff is highly engaged with the Local Kitchens' team to ensure the perfect execution of our offerings," Ari Feingold, owner of Proposition Chicken, said in the release. "Quality and consistency are top priorities for us, and Local Kitchens seamlessly delivers on both aspects."

Local Kitchens is open in San Jose (1721 Rogers Ave.) from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Sunday. The Lafayette (3455 Mt. Diablo Blvd.) is open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday to Saturday. Cupertino ( 21666 Stevens Creek Blvd.) is open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday.