Dark Satanic Kitchens

[JohnL]

I like cheap takeaways and I don't really mind if they come from a distribution kitchen but surely there's a way that's better than production line - it's a little sad.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/09/dark-kitchens-satanic-mills-deliveroo

[TheCat]

I don't really see the difference between a cook/chef working for minimum age in a windowless kitchen in the basement of a restaurant on a high street. Or a windowless portacabin in a car park.

[rcmacf]

Not for the chef, perhaps. The difference is cost of operations. If you want to retain choice of places to GO and eat, then these dark kitchens are very much a bad thing, as not only are "front of house" restaurants struggling due to rates and rents, oversupply on the street, etc but they are being undercut by this type of kitchen.

something very few are likely contemplating is the services such as deliveroo and uber eats do not share the customer's details with the restaurants using them, and so the resto cannot market to these customers, nor can they be assured of their return business (IF) a dark kitchen is set up in their place.

Deliveroo (for example) are building a database of who wants what food where, when, at what price and how long they'll wait for it. This is extremely valuable information and I would be very surprised if they do not use it to develop their own restaurants/kitchens or "collaborations" with others. The manner in which Amazon has depleted the high streets is going to happen for restaurants, too. It's a worrying state of affairs, and I'm not sure many establishments realise the danger they could be in.

[se22cat]

A better way is to take a college course or find a good youtube channel for the kind of food you would normally order in and learn to cook it yourself. That way you won't be supporting exploitative labour practices, have food prepared in a hygienic environment, have peace of mind regarding the freshness and quality of ingredients and not be destroying your long term health by not overloading the "meal" with sugar and salt used as preservatives and msg to trick you into thinking the slop you've just [over] paid for actually tastes remotely good.

[fishbiscuits]

When Deliveroo started, it was supposed to be a "premium" service, i.e. delivering food from the type of restaurants that wouldn't normally deliver.

Now they're reheating pre-prepared food in metal boxes in industrial estates, and charging restaurant prices for it.

[uncleglen]

se22cat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A better way is to take a college course or find a

> good youtube channel for the kind of food you

> would normally order in and learn to cook it

> yourself. That way you won't be supporting

> exploitative labour practices, have food prepared

> in a hygienic environment, have peace of mind

> regarding the freshness and quality of ingredients

> and not be destroying your long term health by not

> overloading the "meal" with sugar and salt used as

> preservatives and msg to trick you into thinking

> the slop you've just paid for actually tastes

> remotely good.

The competition in London, especially between eateries and takeaways is going to lead to iffy practices...I had some disgusting spare ribs from a local place about 18 months ago and have not had a takeaway since...

If you can read a recipe and get supplies in then you can cook imo

[fishbiscuits]

By suggesting people "learn to cook", you are rather missing the point. It's a convenience. You get takeaways if you're short of time, or don't fancy cooking.

[se22cat]

Completely agree, uncleglen; you can also invite people around and cook something nice together too.

[miga]

Perhaps irrationally I always found the idea of Deliveroo unpleasant. Guy loaded up with takeaways from a place you couldn't be bothered walking/cycling to yourself, cycling in the cold driving rain for ?7 an hour plus ?1 per delivery. And now the thing he's bringing to you isn't even the thing you actually really thought you were getting.

(Yes, there are many crappy minimum wage jobs out there, and no one coerces anyone into working for Deliveroo).

[Sue]

Whenever we have used Deliveroo or Just Eat, the food has always seemed to come directly from the local restaurant?

(The Gowlett, Surma, Franco Manca, probably others I've forgotten).

[fishbiscuits]

With Deliveroo, you can tell if it's coming from their own kitchen as it's labelled "editions". Just Eat is always just a normal takeaway.

[JohnL]

fishbiscuits Wrote:

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> With Deliveroo, you can tell if it's coming from

> their own kitchen as it's labelled "editions".

> Just Eat is always just a normal takeaway.

Yes - I noticed the Deliveroo "Editions"

The website tried to push me on to it as if it was preferable (but I did notice what it was so must be pretty clear).

[Jennys]

Stuck recently for many hours in King?s A and E and getting really hungry, I was grateful when my son ordered for me, from North Wales where he lives, a Franco Manca pizza which arrived within 15 minutes of being ordered.

[Sue]

Jennys Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Stuck recently for many hours in King?s A and E

> and getting really hungry, I was grateful when my

> son ordered for me, from North Wales where he

> lives, a Franco Manca pizza which arrived within

> 15 minutes of being ordered.

I was in the children's bit of the A and E in King's not long ago, and there was what appeared to be a whole family in there eating burgers and chips.