Ralphs and Kitchen United Open 1st Location in L.A.
The Kroger Co. is adding another meal solution option to its repertoire. Its Ralphs banner and restaurant tech company Kitchen United MIX have opened their first kitchen center in Westwood, Calif., on Jan. 5. This innovative approach brings fresh restaurant-quality meals directly to Ralphs shoppers.
The off-premise restaurant kitchen is located in the Westwood Ralphs at 10861 Weyburn Avenue. Customers place an order digitally using Kitchen United's proprietary MIX platform via web, mobile or an in-person ordering kiosk. Customers can then pick up their meal on-site or have it delivered. Restaurant staff will prepare the orders, and delivery service fees will be determined by third-party providers.
"The Kitchen United collaboration provides the fresh, on-demand meals our customers crave. It is one more innovative example of how Kroger is fulfilling its commitment to anything, anywhere, anytime," said Dan De La Rosa, group VP of fresh merchandising for Kroger.
Kroger and Kitchen United revealed their national partnership in August 2021.
"We couldn't be prouder that Kroger and Kitchen United chose to open the collaboration's first location in Ralphs," said Kendra Doyel, VP of merchandising at the banner. "Our customers come to us to find the freshest food and to answer the all-important 'what's for dinner?' question. This collaboration provides our customers one more simple meal solution that they can pair with Ralphs' fresh products."
Additional locations resulting from the Kroger-Kitchen United collaboration are anticipated to open in Texas later in the month.
"We proudly operate successful ghost kitchens across the country and will apply that expertise to reimagine takeout and delivery within Kroger stores," said Michael Montagano, CEO of Pasadena, Calif.-based Kitchen United. "Our work together provides millions of Kroger customers access to their favorite restaurant cuisines in a convenient supermarket format, while providing Kitchen United and our restaurant partners a high-touch, interactive storefront. We are excited to bring this creative solution to the Westwood community."
Kitchen United is a provider of restaurant hub technology, streamlined logistics and turnkey commercial kitchen space that empower foodservice operators to tap into the growing off-premise business opportunity.
Shoppers at Ralphs' Los Angeles-area location can choose to mix and match their meals from Fresh Brothers, Bushi by Jinya, Sajj Mediterranean, Doghaus and more. For a complete list of restaurants, hours and ordering information, click here. Customers can place their orders from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week.
"We first partnered with Kitchen United MIX in Pasadena," said Geoff Goodman, CEO of Los Angeles-based Fresh Brothers. "Their operations team is wonderful to work with and their collaboration with Kroger so ground-breaking, we jumped at the opportunity to be part of this innovative offering in the heart of Bruin country."
Cincinnati-based Kroger employs nearly half a million associates who serve 11 million-plus customers daily through a digital shopping experience and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The company is No. 3 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Ralphs has 18,000 associates in 184 stores who serve customers throughout Southern California and the Central Coast.
