Dark kitchens, also known as ghost kitchens, cloud kitchens, or virtual kitchens, often receive criticism for the quality of food. Sizl, a Chicago-based food-to-order delivery service, is trying to change this perception by offering meals made with fresh ingredients in a flat for about 30 minutes.
The company recently announced its $3.5 million seed round on Tuesday.
Unlike the typical dark kitchen, which serves as a shared space for various restaurants, Sizl says it runs its own kitchen with a small team of Chicago Ukrainian cooks preparing food and local culinary talent. They also have their own delivery courier and a mobile app that allows you to earn rewards.
This can lead to a contradiction between food quality and freshness, as dark kitchens usually work without traditional dining spaces and focus solely on serving take-out orders.
A key selling point for SIZL’s target audience, health-conscious customers who are looking for quick bites, said the service provides “fresh ingredients” and co-founder Anastasia Kalinkina told TechCrunch.
Sizl claims it sources meat and supplies produce from local suppliers, including Greensys, an organic farm in central Illinois. However, the company also acknowledges it is working with US food and large distributors like Sysco, but emphasizes that a significant portion of its ingredients comes from local sources.
Plus, many ghost kitchens offer a variety of foods, but no specialization. SIZL stands out by focusing primarily on Eastern European cuisine.
SIZL’s menu includes only 60 items at a time, ranging from dishes like chicken kiev and pierogie to everyday meals like grilled cheese and spaghetti bolognese. Sizl incorporates Kalinkina’s family recipes, including her grandmothers Borscht and Syrniki.
Sizl’s founders Kalinkina, Alex Kolesnikov (CEO), Nick Delitski and Kyrylo Kupin (CMO) are originally from Ukraine and have experience in building dark kitchen chains. They previously built a local kitchen, but Kolesnikov said it had expanded to $46 million in annual revenue.
Another negative association with dark kitchens is that it relies on third-party delivery platforms, saturating the Uber Eats, Doordash, and Grubhub apps often use virtual brands that are patterns on each other.
SIZL is also available in these apps, but it differentiates itself from its own mobile app that uses gaming mechanics to engage customers. Collect theme cards that you can use to unlock rewards each time a customer orders or logs in to the app. SIZL also has in-app currency (Mojis) and mini-games. Additionally, SIZL offers 3% cashback on all orders.
The recent round was led by Kinetic and Yellow Rocks, with participation from several angel investors, including Mike Alexandrovsky, who co-founded delivery startup Borzo.
The funds will open up to four additional kitchens in Chicago this year, adding them to two existing locations. It is also investigating the expansion into the Boston, Charlotte and San Francisco Bay Areas.
SIZL said there are already Series A rounds scheduled for later this year or early 2026.