Ask HN: What if your favorite restaurant was only online?

Hello, I'm Dre! Looking for some feedback on a startup idea I've been spinning on.

Thesis Restaurant operators are sitting on underutilized fixed assets (staff, kitchen space, equipment, etc.). D2C food brands primarily selling from their direct web channels could benefit from a new distribution channel to activate and engage customers.

Idea Enable D2C food brands to launch virtual restaurants using their brand + product by leveraging a network of host kitchens. The host kitchens would act as the fulfillment partner by preparing the food, and we would use software to tie everything together, including last-mile delivery.

As a customer, I would be able to go to any delivery app or directly to the brand's virtual restaurant channel, order from a very specific menu, and its delivered in 30 minutes. Maybe I love it so much I decide to buy directly from the brand's shop and have some shipped to my home.

Why would a D2C food brand do this? New marketing/sale channels for attracting new customers Experiment with new products at a hyper-local level quickly

. Why would a restaurant do this? Incremental revenue that doesn't require more costs Available capacity to take more orders

Questions I'm asking myself? Can this make money at scale? How would you handle the supply-chain from the brands to the host kitchens? Is this even an attractive channel for D2C food brands?

I'm super early in my thinking and don't have an answer for everything. I really appreciate any feedback you can provide!