Pasadena-Based Kitchen United Secures $100 Million Series C Funding from Kroger, Circle K, Peyton Manning, Others

Pasadena ghost kitchen pioneer Kitchen United has raised $100 million in Series C funding with the help of new investors which includes The Kroger Co., Circle K and Restaurant Brands International. 

Kitchen United founders Harry Tsao and John Miller and previous investors, including two-time NFL Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, also made significant investments.

The capital brings the company’s total funding to date to about $175 million. 

“This Series C financing further solidifies Kitchen United’s leadership position in the industry,” said Kitchen United Chief Executive Officer Michael Montagano. 

“We are thrilled to partner with leading investors across grocery, convenience, restaurants, malls, packaging, logistics, distribution, automation, and urban and suburban real estate development,” he added. 

“We see many commercial opportunities in partnering with Kitchen United as it prepares for considerable scale. We believe this business stands apart from other industry players with its centralized locations, multi-format offerings, experienced management team, and mature technology stack — all of which align with Circle K’s mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day as we work together to shape the future of convenience,” said Kevin Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard.

David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner at GV said Kitchen United is “positioned for significant expansion in the years ahead” considering the rising trend of off-premises dining.

Founded in 2017, Kitchen United’s technology enables customers to order from multiple prepared food and consumer goods brands on the same ticket and with the same delivery driver, all synchronized to maximize quality and payload, and minimize time and expense.

In the past two years, the firm has unveiled multiple industry-leading initiatives, including collaborations in grocery with Kroger and at Simon properties nationwide.

To date, Kitchen United has approximately 200 operational kitchens across 20 regions. It will continue its focus on Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Texas as key markets with continued expansion throughout other trade areas within the United States. 

Additionally, the ghost kitchen pioneer will be further evolving its industry-leading multi-concept ordering technology platform Kitchen United OS, for use by customers including Burger King, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A., Portillo’s, Panera Bread, Dog Haus, Wingstop, and Brinker International.

For additional information about Kitchen United, visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.