Walmart welcomes ‘multiple restaurants’ to Burlington location

A unique dining concept has just opened in Burlington that brings several brands together under one roof.

In this case, the roof comes in the form of Walmart at 4515 Dundas Street and the brands range from Smoke’s Poutinerie to Beast Burgers and the Cheesecake Factory.

But rather than having separate restaurants, the food is presented together under the banner of Ghost Kitchens, with one staff preparing all the different menu items in the same kitchen.

“This is pretty cool, multiple restaurants in the same place, I like it,” said Bruno Ierulli as he was about to place his order from “different” restaurants on the weekend.

The Ghost Kitchens concept grew from the plan of Toronto entrepreneurs who thought it would be a good idea to present various favourites in one spot to make it easy for consumers to visit a single location to satisfy all of their food cravings.

Behind the large menu walls of Ghost Kitchens, staff trained in the intricacies of each brand prepare the meals for those who arrive in person and for others who have ordered online.

As well as the already mentioned Smoke’s Poutinerie, Beast Burgers and the Cheesecake Factory, other brands available at the new Burlington location include Crepe Delicious, Niko’s Greek Grill, The Breakfast Basket, Pepe’s Perogies and Leaf Life.

Omar Solomon who was visiting with his young daughter said he heard about the concept but was surprised to see it in his local Walmart.

Solomon said various options make it easy if you have a few tummies to satisfy.

“I like burgers but my daughter wants dessert,” Solomon laughed. “This kind of saves me from travelling around going to different places. It’s all right here. We’ll give it a try and see what it’s like.”

Ordering is done virtually by filling out the large electronic menus that are placed around the shop (staff were on hand the first few days to help with the ordering). Once the order is placed, the kitchen workers prepare the food which is all brought out together.

Operators of Ghost Kitchens say they want to redefine how consumers interact with their favourite brands, while at the same time allowing each brand to reach a broader audience.

Ghost Kitchens has already partnered with several Walmart stores in Ontario with plans to open in more locations.

However, the Walmart location is not the first attempt by Ghost Kitchens to operate in Burlington. In 2021 a standalone shop opened at 466 Guelph Line but closed a year later.

Marianne Cartena said he used to visit the Guelph Line location and was surprised when it left.

“I’m glad that it’s back, it’s a good idea…lots of choices,” she said. “Maybe the last location wasn’t good but here in Walmart you get a lot of traffic so it should work, I hope it does.”

1. Ghost Kitchens Burlington