Restaurants
10 ghost kitchen experts
These ten operators and executives have worked on ghost kitchens, cloud kitchens or virtual restaurant brands, in roles ranging from kitchen operations to brand launches and site expansion. A reader can learn how delivery-focused kitchens and virtual brands are set up, launched and run.
Professionals to explore
01—10Adel Khadhraoui
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations · Just Group
Director of Operations at Just Group since 2025, and former Operations Manager at Just Group (2019–2025) in a role the profile labels restaurants delivery cloud kitchens, covering 50+ branches in 3 countries across brands including Just Burger, Just fresh, Balance Kitchen and tikka Tanoor. Former Multi Unit Manager (ZAROOB) at Zuhour Group (2015–2019).
Awais Malik
LinkedInExperience: General Manager - Ghost Kitchens · talabat
General Manager - Ghost Kitchens at talabat since 2024, at a company the profile describes as providing food delivery, groceries and more. Former Director of Operations (2023) and General Manager - Deliver Anything (2021–2023) at talabat, and Regional Program Manager at Careem (2020–2021). The profile also lists Director of Product Operations at BoomerangFX (2024).
Dmitrijs Labada
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations & Strategic Growth - Cloud Kitchen & Multi-Brand F&B - Waka Kitchens. · Rafeeq
Director of Operations & Strategic Growth - Cloud Kitchen & Multi-Brand F&B - Waka Kitchens at Rafeeq since 2021. Former Area Operations Manager F&B Cloud & Multi-Brand Kitchens at Kitopi (2019–2021) and Operations Manager F&B at Famous Brands (2015–2019). The profile describes 20+ years of experience across multi-site, multi-brand food service, cloud kitchens, food delivery and franchising.
Karan Kaverappa
LinkedInExperience: General Manager Operations · VRO Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
Former General Manager Operations at VRO Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (2019–2025), where the profile describes directing city-wide hospitality ecosystems covering dine-in, delivery, cloud kitchens and experiential formats, and integrating Swiggy, Zomato and delivery platforms into brand strategy. Brand Director at VRO Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. since October 2025; other roles there include City General Manager (2020–2024) and Associate Director (2024–2025).
Manish Kumar
LinkedInExperience: Assistant Manager - Growth · Ghost Kitchens India
Former Assistant Manager - Growth at Ghost Kitchens India (2024–2025), where the profile describes leading growth and operational initiatives across multi-brand cloud kitchens with a focus on scalability, efficiency and revenue generation. The profile also describes developing and executing growth strategies across Zomato, Swiggy and DoorDash. Also Executive - Aggregators at Ghost Kitchens India (2022–2024) and Ops Analyst at Spice since October 2025.
Norman N. Njuguna
LinkedInExperience: Head of Operations Cloud Kitchens · Delivery Hero
Former Head of Operations Cloud Kitchens at Delivery Hero (2022–2025), and Operations Manager HungerStation Kitchens at HungerStation since April 2025. Other listed roles include Country Launcher Project Manager at eathos (2021–2022), Senior Operations Manager at eathos (2021) and Director Of Operations at Dynamic Hospitality (2020–2021).
Salil Sapre
LinkedInExperience: General Manager · Rebel Foods
General Manager at Rebel Foods since April 2025, and former Deputy General Manager (2023–2025), Lead Designer (2022–2023) and Senior Designer (2020–2022) at Rebel Foods. The profile describes driving location analytics, revenue forecasting and P&L modelling for expansion, along with end-to-end design of Rebel cloud kitchens and Wendy's restaurants across India.
Steve Cervenka
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Virtual Dining Concepts
Former Chief Operating Officer at Virtual Dining Concepts (2020–2021), where the profile describes developing and expanding virtual restaurants as a turnkey way for restaurants to add delivery-only brands to their existing kitchens, and launching MrBeast Burger and growing it to over 1k locations. Former President of Partnerships & Alliances (2018–2019) and Vice President of New Business & Strategic Development (2013–2018) at Earl Enterprises.
Vamsi Mudumba
LinkedInExperience: AVP Business Expansion · Rebel Foods
Former AVP Business Expansion at Rebel Foods (2024–2025). The profile describes orchestrating the rollout of 150 new cloud kitchens across more than 100 Indian cities through 2025, using location analytics, capex governance and cross-functional OKRs. Other Rebel Foods roles include Applied AI since September 2025, General Manager - Strategy and Programs (2023–2024) and Engineering Operations (2022–2023).
Vishal Tandale
LinkedInExperience: Operations Manager · chikex
Operations Manager at chikex since November 2024. The profile describes leading end-to-end operations across UAE and Bahrain, including marketing, supply chain, recruitment, training and expansion initiatives, and launching and scaling a new cloud kitchen brand that generated AED 80K+ in sales. Former Senior Area Manager (2019–2024) and Restaurant Manager (2015–2019) at Rebel Foods.
Choose the right perspective
Decide whether your question is about running a ghost kitchen site day to day, launching a virtual brand inside existing kitchens or expanding a network of cloud kitchen sites, and match the person's experience to it. Also consider the market, since delivery platforms and customer habits differ by country.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What does it take to launch a delivery-only brand out of an existing restaurant kitchen without hurting dine-in service?
- 02How do you decide between operating a dedicated ghost kitchen site and adding virtual brands to existing locations?
- 03Which metrics show whether a ghost kitchen location is worth keeping open?
Reaching ghost kitchen experts
How can I contact one of these ghost kitchen experts?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 9 companies, including Just Group, talabat and Rafeeq, based on profile data retrieved on October 3, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach ghost kitchen experts?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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