Worker Exploitation in Dark Kitchens: A Growing Concern in the Gig Economy

Authors: Charalampos Giousmpasoglou, Evangelia Marinakou, Adele Ladkin (Bournemouth University)

The rise of “dark kitchens” (also known as “cloud” or “ghost” kitchens), delivery-only facilities preparing meals for online food platforms, has transformed the restaurant industry on a global scale but has also raised significant concerns about worker exploitation. Originally established to support high-street restaurants in meeting online demand, dark kitchens now represent a fast-expanding business model driven by major players like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. While they provide dramatic operational cost savings and convenience, the hidden cost is often borne by the workers.

A recent study by Giousmpasoglou et al. (2024) highlights the precarious conditions faced by gig workers in these kitchens. Using a netnographic approach, researchers explored the challenging realities of these workers' lives, typically out of public view. Workers are commonly subjected to low pay, insecure contracts, and inadequate working conditions, often in windowless spaces within industrial estates. Kitchens can become extremely hot, crowded, and unhygienic, lacking basic amenities. Reports of confined workspaces with insufficient ventilation and safety measures indicate a troubling trend towards poor working conditions to boost profit margins.

Dark kitchens have also leveraged the gig economy's “flexible” employment structure, allowing companies to sidestep traditional labour protections. The employment setup usually classifies workers as independent contractors rather than employees, meaning they lack access to essential benefits like paid sick leave, health insurance, and job security. This precarious employment status, described as “flexploitation,” leaves workers in highly unpredictable situations where they may work irregular hours with no guaranteed income.

Furthermore, dark kitchens face minimal regulatory oversight, creating a challenge for accountability. Health and safety breaches are commonly reported, with some facilities receiving low hygiene ratings. Ethical concerns also arise with customers unaware of where and under what conditions their food is prepared, raising transparency issues in the food industry.

This study, one of the first to systematically examine dark kitchens, calls for increased regulatory oversight and better protections for gig workers. It underscores the need for industry stakeholders to address these labour issues and adopt fair practices, not only to protect workers but to foster sustainable HR practices in a rapidly growing sector. Dark kitchens highlight a larger issue within the gig economy, where technology-driven business models often place profits above worker welfare. As dark kitchens continue to grow, so does the urgency to establish fair work standards that respect worker dignity and promote ethical practices.

Source: Giousmpasoglou, C., Ladkin, A. and Marinakou, E., 2024. Worker exploitation in the Gig Economy: the case of Dark Kitchens. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 7(1), 414-435. DOI: 10.1108/JHTI-10-2022-0477

Picture Source: Adobe Stock under educational licence Link

Back to previous page