Daisy Diner Long Beach — Restaurant in Long Beach

This is the exact reason why I am starting a cloud kitchen.

I have been in the restaurant business for 30 years as a general manager, bartender and chef. I get off from work very late at night. More often than not, I want food delivered. However, at those late hours, most places are closed and only fast food remains. I don’t want that. I started to find different specialized restaurants offering food after hours through delivery apps. Not fast food. Curious and eager to try these great late night options, I started ordering. Nine times out of ten, the food was sub par and not what I ordered. A delicious sounding chicken cordon bleu grilled cheese arrived with a slice of melted American cheese on toast, accompanied by tater tots covered with Cheddar when I had ordered Mac and cheese balls. Okay, simple mistake, I thought. The orders got mixed up. I ordered again from a different restaurant. This time I ordered chicken tenders tossed in Buffalo sauce. The chicken arrived raw. All of the late night food was below expectations and food safety standards.

I started to research ghost kitchens and found that the person above is correct. They are mostly run by corporations trying to mark up their products by rebranding for a different market. I decided that, with my experience, and my culinary background, I could do better

I reached out to cloud kitchens and had an interview. During the interview, I expressed my I passion for food and cooking and explained my experience with ghost kitchens. I was approved, even though I don’t have a restaurant yet. I am starting my restaurant by beginning it as a ghost kitchen in a cloud kitchen facility. I am preparing my food with skill and integrity, so that customers who order from my menu in the middle of the night will get quality. I’m not in it to make a quick buck. I am in this to raise the standard of ghost kitchens and set the example to these other kitchens who are only trying to turn a quick dollar on unsuspecting patrons. I am passionate about food and have been wanting to open a restaurant for some time. Covid happened and my dreams were lost. And then cloud kitchens came along with a slight glimmer of hope that I can start my Business and let it grow. I want to bring my experience and knowledge to these other kitchens and be the example of how this business can work and be more profitable by not cutting corners and delivering quality food, no matter what time of day it is.

I...

First of all, I'd like to apologize to my previous and future Uber Eats delivery drivers who end up at this location. 😂 Especially if it's your first time going there! I had ordered food from Cajun Stop twice, so tonight since I was out I thought I'd just swing by and check the place out myself. I'm expecting a seafood joint with fish on the walls and good music. Something I might want to take friends and family to since I know the food is good. 😂😂😂 When my GPS sent me down a dark alley I started getting nervous! 😳 Looked like a very sketchy location the business was trying desperately make look legit. (Not a bad job, btw. Considering the narrow alley and everything. I get it. Every new business has to start somewhere!) Now I've looked it up online (what I should have done to begin with) and I'm very intrigued by the concept. It's kind of like an Amazon locker for food. Totally legit. And thankfully there were several people coming and going so it didn't feel too secluded. It would be nice to see places like this with at least a little bit more of a store front presence. The one window where you can talk to someone if you need help (thank goodness! Because I did! 😂) seemed really awkward and the plexiglass divider the owner ducked his head under looks like it's going to hurt somebody at some point. The entire experience caught me so off guard I didn't even think to check my order or ask for extra condiments. I'm sure if I had asked, they probably would have been happy to get me a few more. But it would also be nice if there was a way to at least find some of the basics when you walk up without asking. Not sure the logistics of that considering the variety of restaurants represented or the fact that I'm guessing nearly 100% of the people showing up are delivery drivers who don't even open the bags they're delivering. Those are just my observations. Nothing worth losing a star over. All in all the food was excellent, the process of ordering and retrieving it was efficient, and I'm thoroughly impressed despite the unusual venue. Now to find a list of the other restaurants represented at this location so I can start trying more of them! Is there a master list/menu somewhere?? If not,...

Customers beware, the "restaurants" operating out of this locations are shams cashing in on the wave of cloud kitchens opening up and bullying brick-and-mortar small businesses.

The "restaurants" at this location share a cheap kitchen that is payed into by multiple entities. A burger from one restaurant here will be the exact same as any other restaurant sharing this address. Any restaurant can start operations out of this address, rename the items on the menu, and they will be prepared exactly the same. If you look around on a food delivery app, you can literally some restaurants use the exact same images as other restaurants, but with altered prices/branding. You are not supporting local or small businesses here.

Look up "Pasqually's." Chuck-E-Cheese rebranded using this method and sold their low quality pizzas at a criminal markup knowing they are being dishonest. It is not uncommon for a single person or entity to own several restaurants at one location just to see which brand sells better in comparison to others. You are being sold cheap food.

If you want to support local businesses do research of the restaurant before ordering take-out. Make sure it's the ONLY restaurant operating out of an address and look at the place on google maps. Cloud kitchens are becoming more and more common and though they are legal, they are highly immoral and you WILL be getting ripped off for what...