See what happens when you place an order with a restaurant in the Leeds Deliveroo Editions 'dark kitchen'

Pizza, curry and noodles are all made from the same site, once used as a church, on the edge of Chapeltown in Leeds.
Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.
Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.

That is because a building, off Scott Hall Street, has been converted into a Deliveroo Editions site, or a so-called 'dark kitchen'.

The commercial unit hosts several restaurant brands in a collection of kitchens - and the focus is solely on home delivery.

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But what goes on behind the scenes before hungry customers receive food straight to their doors?

Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.
Chefs at work in one of the kitchen units at the Deliveroo Editions site in Leeds.

1. Placing an order

Customers can use the Deliveroo app to order food from a whole range of restaurants and takeaways.

If a meal is coming from a so-called 'dark kitchen', it will be marked with the Deliveroo Editions logo.

Under restaurant notes, it will be made clear whether food is coming from a 'virtual brand' of a restaurant. Clients can use their kitchen, equipment and stock to create another menu or cuisine under a different brand name.

2. Processing the order

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Once an order has been placed, it sends an alert through to an iPad in the kitchen of the chosen restaurant to be reviewed and accepted.

Once accepted, a ticket with the order details is printed out for the chef and will indicate a time that the meal should be prepared by.

In the main entrance area in Leeds, a large television screen on the wall shows all the different orders currently being processed across each of the kitchens on site.

An algorithm will allocated a driver to the meal and indicate what time they should be there to collect it.

3. Cooking the order

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Chefs, provided by the individual restaurants, cook the dishes from their respective restaurant units.

Once it is ready, they will package it up for delivery and take it through to the rider collection area, where it is put on a hot plate.

4. Delivery of the order

Riders pick up the order allocated to them at the collection point and transport it to the delivery address.

According to Deliveroo's head of corporate communications, Robert Oxley, in the UK the average meal spends six minutes on the road. The average order time is 27 minutes from the point that you click that you want your food to the point that it arrives at your door.

More on Deliveroo's 'Dark Kitchens'

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