A woman gets tricked by a ghost kitchen after ordering confetti cake on Uber Eats. It’s a rising consumer concern.
Her saga plays out in a viral TikTok with more than 59,000 views. “I was just craving cake so bad that I Uber Eats a slice of confetti cake,” TikTok user Katy (@ughhhyikes) starts the video. “I fell victim to one of the ghost kitchens.”
Then, she unveils her slice of confetti cake on a plate. When she starts to eat, the content creator notices something unusual. That’s when Katy takes out the bag the cake arrived in and points at the sticker that seals it. “I fell victim from a ghost kitchen and it [came] from no other [than] Chuck E. Cheese,” she says. “So, now I’m eating Chuck E. Cheese confetti cake which is honestly pretty good.”
Wait, what is a ghost kitchen?
Ghost kitchens or commissary kitchens are a virtual delivery service operating out of a commercial kitchen and are available on apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. However, they don’t have a physical business and use other companies and apps to promote their food.
She reiterates this in the caption over her video. “I am Ubereats newest ghost kitchen victim. Who was going to tell me Chuck E. Cheese had good cake?”
The Daily Dot reached out to Katy via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment. As well as Uber via press email. Like Katy, other viewers have fallen prey to accidentally ordering from ghost kitchens.
Why does Chuck E. Cheese have a ghost kitchen?
Almost surely, for marketing purposes. Otherwise, it’s unlikely people would turn to the child entertainment brand for one-off food decisions. We’ve reached out to Chuck E. Cheese about this via email.
“It’s awful. I thought I was getting a mom and pop Italian restaurant… nope it was chilis didn’t even know chilis had pasta lol,” one viewer shared.
“Yup we bought souped up milkshakes and turns out they were actually from steak and shake,” a second wrote.
“I once ordered from ‘bird dogs’ it was Bww in a hotdog bun,” a third recalled.
In response to a comment, Katy elaborated, “It was something specific to cake. Like ‘something cakes.’ Tbh it still hit the spot.”
Moreover, others praised Chuck E. Cheese’s cakes.
“Girl their cake is one of the best,” one user praised.
“Man. But they have the best cake,” a second agreed.
Update July 24, 6:56am CT: A Chuck E. Cheese rep tells the Daily Dot via email:
- Chuck E. Cheese launched Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings during the pandemic in 2020. This was during a time when our locations were forced to close and, in an effort, to keep our management team employed, we launched one of the first virtual kitchen brands at a national level. The recipes were not the same as those made for Chuck E. Cheese guests but did leverage the kitchens, infrastructure and standards of Chuck E. Cheese. Read more about it here.
- The industry hailed us for our efforts as pioneers and one of the most innovative during a difficult time for the world.
- Then we partnered with Buddy Vs Cake Slice as part of a venture with VDC in 2023 and introduced that product for carryout, delivery and in store. Read all about it here.
- Then late last year, we announced our Grown-Up Menu where we introduced the top sellers of Pasqually’s Pizza & wings inside of Chuck E. Cheese. Read all about it here.
Are there ways to tell if you’re ordering from a ghost kitchen on food delivery apps?
Delivery apps don’t specify if you’re ordering from a ghost kitchen except for DoorDash. On DoorDash’s app, there’s a virtual banner along with a “learn more” page. However, there are tricks to find out but it requires research. One method is to search for “ghost menus” on an app. Furthermore, you can look up the address and photos of the restaurant you’re ordering from. “If the restaurant has an actual storefront, a quick Google search will likely reveal photos, reviews, and driving directions,” per Tasting Table.
@ughhhyikes I am Ubereats newest ghost kitchen victim. Who was going to tell me Chuck E. Cheese had good cake? #ghostkitchen #fyp #chuckecheese ♬ original sound – Katy
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