TORONTO – Walmart Canada and Ghost Kitchen Brands (GKB) recently announced a partnership involving the two companies in five locations in the next few months.

Walmart customers can order freshly prepared meals online from the ghost kitchen concepts for contactless pickup in stores or delivery. 

“Walmart Canada is a perfect strategic partner for us as we continue to innovate and reinvent the restaurant industry with our unique restaurant concept,” said George Kottas, founder and chief executive officer of GKB. “We are both one-stop shops and we recognize the value in affordable, convenient solutions for our customers.”

Some of the brands in the ghost kitchens would include Quiznos, The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, Pepe’s Perogies, Rocky’s Italian, Canadian Jerk, Slush Puppie, Monster Cupcakes, Saladworks, Beyond Meat, Amaya Indian Street Food, Taco del Mar, Lola’s Latin Food, Tazo, Red Bull, Crêpe Delicious, Nescafé and Ben & Jerry’s with more being added. All meals are prepared in one kitchen for one pickup or delivery.

“We believe in Ghost Kitchen’s strategy and vision and we’re very excited to be the first retailer to team up with Ghost Kitchens,” said Sam Hamam, senior director of licensees at Walmart Canada. “We’re always looking at ways to improve our customer shopping experience with greater access to affordable products, services and brands.”

The company explained that its lean operations and leading-edge technologies allow it to operate dozens of international brands in one place.

Marc Choy, president of GKB, said his goal is to open a ghost kitchen every 12 kilometers across Canada in order to have an urban market within 30 minutes of every Canadian, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.