‘This is actually scary’: Man opens DoorDash ghost kitchen selling Costco muffins from his house. Then he sees what DoorDash sent him

Viewers were conflicted after this man was able to easily set up a ghost kitchen on DoorDash. He was running it out of his house and reselling Costco muffins.

What is a ghost kitchen?

A ghost kitchen, also known as a virtual kitchen, is a restaurant without a physical storefront.

Instead of having a spot where you can physically pick up food or dine in, ghost kitchens just operate out of a kitchen space, be it commercial or otherwise.

Food from a ghost kitchen is only available for delivery.

DoorDash ghost kitchen causes outrage

In a viral video with more than two million views, Jon Gott (@gottjon) shares the ups and downs he went through trying to start a DoorDash ghost kitchen.

In the video, he's seen on the phone with DoorDash. He recounts that they told him they'd send him a tablet to operate the restaurant's logistics on.

From there, he'd upload the menu and be good to go.

"You don't need like a commercial kitchen or like any sort of like license to make food?" his wife asks in disbelief at the quick approval.

Nope—all he needed was his LLC, Gott says.

Gott clarifies that he didn't actually plan to cook the food himself. Instead, he'd buy premade foods from Costco and resell them for a profit. Once the tablet arrived, Gott uploaded his menu and the "Sugar Rush" storefront. It includes:

• Cinnamon roll - $6
• Chocolate muffin - $4
• Blueberry muffin - $4
• Cinnamon crunch muffin - $4
• Chocolate milk - $2

What happened next?

Gott's adventure was short-lived.

In a follow-up video, Gott says that someone reported it to DoorDash after the TikTok went viral. DoorDash then closed down the store and sent Gott an email notifying him that the store has been "temporarily deactivated."

"TikTok, I'm sorry, I was just trying to make some extra money to take my kids to Disney World," Gott says, sounding genuinely disappointed. "...I thought it was OK."

Gott said the worst part is he now has 60 giant Costco muffins that he has no use for.

"This is why we don’t post EVERYTHING to social media," a commenter wrote.

Gott did overlay the text "This isn't real" over the initial video. So we're left wondering if that was just the wife's reaction or if the video was actually a bit.

Is opening a DoorDash ghost kitchen really that easy? Doesn't he need permits?

While Gott made it seem wildly easy to set up his ghost kitchen, there are some legalities and permits you need to get before you can be operational.

While these requirements will vary based on your state and local municipality, here are the most commonly needed licenses and permits, according to Cloud Kitchens:

• Business License
• EIN (Employer Identification Number)
• Certificate Of Occupancy
• Food Service License
• Food Handling Permit
• Liquor License

DoorDash's website confirms that potential merchants need little more than that to operate on the app.

"Merchants are required to provide basic information about their business (e.g. business name, location, owner name) and their EIN to validate their entity," their site states. "Merchants must also agree to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including labor, health, and safety laws, in all markets in which they operate. There is no minimum order amount or sales amount to remain a DoorDash partner, and merchants can cancel or change their partnership plan any time."

Aside from that, if you're "drop shipping food" like Gott is, then setup might be that simple. He didn't have to secure much upfront investment or hire staff.

The ethics are definitely being questioned by viewers. But at face value, it seems like a legitimate business as long as Gott gets the necessary food permits.

'DoorDash doesn't regulate kitchen standards.'

"This is actually really scary," a top comment read.

"Door dash doesn't regulate kitchen standards. The Local ordnance does. This is 100% illegal," a person said.

"You should never posted this ppl on the internet thrive off ending other ppls dreams and happiness ….Demons dnt know what b in the food they eat but blocking this man muffins," another added.

"Ghost kitchens make me soooo madddd," a commenter wrote.

@gottjon Remember this the next time you order food from a random place on DoorDash #ghostkitchen #dad #dadsoftiktok ♬ luther - Kendrick Lamar & SZA

The Daily Dot reached out to Gott for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to DoorDash via email.

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The post ‘This is actually scary’: Man opens DoorDash ghost kitchen selling Costco muffins from his house. Then he sees what DoorDash sent him appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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