A note from Meghan King, your VP of Product at The Food Corridor
A few years ago, The Food Corridor reflected deeply on the journey of shared kitchen operators and food business entrepreneurs—where their paths intersected and how technology could better help them thrive.
For years, food businesses in need of shared-kitchen homes successfully found their match on The Kitchen Door, powered by The Food Corridor. But after that magical connection, an entire manual process unfolded in the background—one reliant on emails, spreadsheets, texts, and scattered record-keeping. Kitchen operators had to gather important documents from the entrepreneurs, such as insurance, business licenses, food handler permits, and signed agreements. Tours needed scheduling, payments needed collecting, inspections needed coordinating, and orientations needed giving. All this needed to happen before the entrepreneur could get to work in their new kitchen home. Only after all the i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed could the entrepreneur finally step into The Food Corridor platform to book space, reserve equipment, and pay for the kitchen seamlessly.
As we looked closer at this journey, we identified a growing burden of work piling up during this “in-between” time for shared kitchen operators who already had limited bandwidth to give. We began to reimagine how The Food Corridor could evolve our product beyond its core scheduling, billing, and client management. We asked ourselves, how could we better serve our mission of enabling efficiency, growth, and innovation in local food? And then, we got to work.
2022
First, we introduced Prospects into the software—a centralized space for kitchens to organize, bill, and manage their almost–clients while getting them kitchen-ready. We also made it possible to not only add and track entrepreneurs’ important documents but also require them, along with payment methods, ensuring nothing fell through the cracks—all before the operator gave their final stamp of approval.
2023
Then we launched Onboarding Flows, a powerful feature that allows operators to assign tailored onboarding checklists with external links, progress tracking, and automated reminders, so these Prospects knew exactly what steps they needed to complete and how to do them. These enhancements sped up the onboarding timeline by 34% and relieved much of the burden from the shoulders of operators. We also added an integration with FLIP—a national food liability insurance company—to simplify the insurance compliance process for entrepreneurs.
2024
Next, we synced kitchens’ listings on The Kitchen Door with their Food Corridor accounts, giving operators more control over lead generation and matchmaking. In this same vein, we surveyed the community and reconstructed the Intake Form on The Kitchen Door to minimize the back-and-forth of lead inquiries. Additionally, we revamped Messages, helping operators streamline communication and lay the groundwork for what’s coming next.
2025
Now, as we gear up in 2025, we’re thrilled to announce the next chapter: creating one seamless path from The Kitchen Door to The Food Corridor.
Soon, shared-kitchen operators will have one unified platform to post their kitchen listings to The Kitchen Door (and benefit from the SEO), communicate with their leads, onboard them with ease, and convert them into clients ready to book and pay.
Automation where you want it, control where you need it.
For our cherished kitchen operators already using The Food Corridor, this will feel magical: an integrated, frictionless funnel that dramatically reduces their pile of work. For operators familiar with only The Kitchen Door, this will feel like unlocking the kitchen door into a corridor of tools designed to help them turn leads into paying clients.
And for every kitchen operator wearing multiple hats (which, let’s be honest, is all of them), this means no more hunting through emails, staying on top of spreadsheets, or missing out on could-be revenue.
Is this a new era for The Food Corridor? Absolutely. What remains constant is our dedication to supporting the epicenters of local food ecosystems: shared kitchens. We’re here to make it as effortless as possible for local food to thrive.
About me…
I’ve been with The Food Corridor since the early days in 2017. I was fortunate to get to know many of our first users intimately through demos, sales, and support. In those days, there were only a few of us on the team, so we wore all the hats and were hungry for feedback (and we still are!). In 2018, I started dabbling in the database and learned the inner workings of product development. Solving problems, delighting users, and growing strategically became my passion. In 2020, I stepped into product leadership and began shepherding an amazing team and product. We hired smart people, listened deeply, and continued building for our shared kitchens. It’s been the greatest challenge and greatest joy—and we’re just getting started.
