LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Full service design firm RDC recently unveiled a collaborative “ghost kitchen” project with Ralphs, Kitchen United and Kitchen United’s architectural firm, Sargenti Architects within an existing 90,000 SF Ralphs supermarket in Westwood, CA. The project involves the supermarket’s scope for four kitchen spaces and new point-of-sale counter and the infrastructure to support the kitchen facility.
“We worked closely with Kitchen United, Sargenti and Ralphs on a unique design that has the potential to be an example of how traditional retailers can form alliances with non-traditional retail,” said RDC Associate Principal Terry Todd. “The new facility joins different food retailers under one roof in a multi-story building, presenting technical challenges which we solved.”
The Kitchen United operation is about 1,800 square feet near the Ralphs entrance. Unlike most ghost kitchens which tend to be a single anonymous restaurant, Kitchen United offers multi-restaurant ordering at one attractive and highly visible venue. RDC managed the approvals and permits along with the shell design, shortening the time it would take for the kitchens to open individually, as well as overcoming unique health and building code challenges.
“This efficient and unique approach may encourage additional ghost kitchens toward a more flexible, visible and replicable model for this growing sector of the restaurant industry,” said RDC Project Manager, Nathan Adkins. “Local building and health departments initially did not see how this arrangement fit within code parameters, but through a series of meetings with them, the team resolved issues and were able to move forward.”
The team also integrated the operational systems for all the kitchens, including water, grease waste disposal, mechanical and ventilation systems. In addition, the Ralphs market is situated within an existing multi-level, historic building, which presented its own technical challenges for routing of utilities and placement of equipment. The team also resolved challenges with power, gas, plumbing and mechanical systems during design and construction.
RDC
Founded in 1979, RDC is a full-service, award-winning architecture firm dedicated to making everyday places extraordinary. Practice areas include interior design, branding, hospitality, retail, entertainment, workplace, residential, and procurement. Headquartered in Long Beach, CA, the firm has 160 staff members working in offices located in Los Angeles CA, Washington DC, Portland OR, Rogers AR, San Diego CA, and Shanghai, China. For more information, visit: www.rdcollaborative.com.
