Travelers flying through Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina have a new option with a new virtual food hall bringing nine restaurant concepts for pickup and gate-side delivery through a partnership between Reef and Hubb Kitchens.
For off-premises giant Reef, it represents the company’s first-ever virtual food hall, which is essentially an in-airport ghost kitchen located within Terminal 2. Called the “getReef Virtual Food Hall,” the location is operated by Reef and its airport concession partner Hubb Kitchens, which is based in Raleigh.
The kitchen includes nine brands like C3’s Krispy Rice, 800 Degrees Pizza, Pei Wei, Xochimex Cantina Grill, Zin Burger and Rebel Wings, as well as local concepts Beyu Caffé, Hubb Kitchen and American Meltdown.
“RDU’s ghost kitchen allows travelers to order from nine different restaurants from their smartphone phone or kiosk in one seamless transaction,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “The virtual kitchen uses cutting edge technology to provide more dining options, added convenience and a contactless ordering and payment experience.”
Customers can place and pay for their orders on their mobile devices or directly at getReef kiosks, located in Terminal 2, near Gate C9. Orders are picked up in specially-marked lockers near the order kiosks.
Travelers will be able to mix and match food from any of the brands in the same transaction for greater variety and convenience when dining on the fly. In the future, the virtual food hall will offer delivery to guests at their gate, providing additional convenience for travelers waiting for their flight.
“Reef’s first-ever virtual food hall brings dramatic innovation to the future of airport dining by giving travelers unprecedented variety and convenience,” said Valentina Ellison, senior vice president of Reef Kitchens. “We look forward to continuing to work with RDU as we serve delicious meals to travelers and continue to pioneer the future of the ghost kitchen industry.”
In addition to leveraging Reef’s platform and ecosystem, getReef Virtual Food Hall will feature a custom digital ordering experience developed in-house, paired with some of the largest ambient food storage lockers ever used. Reef expects to rotate brands and menu offerings to suit travelers’ evolving taste and preferences as its portfolio of partnerships continues to grow.
