Ghost Kitchen Equipment List: What You Actually Need to Launch in 2027
Ghost Kitchen Equipment List: What You Actually Need to Launch in 2027
Ghost kitchens keep growing because they strip restaurant economics down to the essentials: no dining room, no front-of-house labor, just a kitchen that runs delivery and pickup. That also means every dollar of equipment has to earn its footprint back — and most ghost kitchens are small, shared, or repurposed spaces where a bulky reach-in line simply doesn't fit.
Here's the equipment list we see work repeatedly, ordered by what breaks first when you skip it.
1. Refrigeration that does two jobs
Space is the scarce resource in a ghost kitchen, so a refrigerator/freezer combo is the highest-leverage single purchase. One cabinet, two temperature zones, one electrical drop, half the floor space of two units.
- Westlake 48" Refrigerator-Freezer Combo (WK-48RF) — 36 cu.ft split between a cooler and a freezer.
- Westlake 72" Refrigerator-Freezer Combo (WK-72RF) — 54 cu.ft for higher-volume menus.
2. Undercounter units at the prep line
You don't want to walk across the kitchen mid-rush. An undercounter cooler or freezer at the make line keeps proteins, sauces, and produce within arm's reach.
- Westlake 28" Undercounter Refrigerator (WKTR-27B) — 6.3 cu.ft, doubles as a worktop.
- Westlake 28" Undercounter Freezer (WKTF-27B) — same footprint, frozen side.
3. An ice machine sized to demand, not to hope
Cold drinks are delivery-margin gold. Under-sizing your ice machine means running out on a Saturday; over-sizing means paying for capacity you never touch.
- Westlake 350 lb Air-Cooled Ice Machine (SK-329) — 350 lb/day production with a 308 lb storage bin, the workhorse size for most single-venue operations.
4. Cooking gear that fits a hoodless line
If your space has no full hood, countertop gas equipment keeps you flexible. A griddle and a fryer cover most delivery-centric menus.
- Westlake 36" Gas Griddle (EGG-36S) — 90,000 BTU, three burners.
- Westlake 50 lb Gas Floor Fryer (GF120) — 120,000 BTU on casters.
Bottom line
Launch lean, but don't skimp on refrigeration — it's the piece that fails silently and costs you a health inspection. A combo unit plus one undercounter and a correctly-sized ice machine covers 80% of ghost kitchen menus.
Browse the full commercial refrigeration range or start with the WK-48RF combo.