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dingy kitchens — also referred to as ghost kitchen , cloud kitchens , or virtual kitchen — often meet critique for their nutrient quality . Sizl , a cook - to - order delivery service based in Chicago , seeks to shift this perception by deliver meal made with fresh ingredients in around 30 minutes categoric .
The company announced its recent $ 3.5 million seminal fluid round on Tuesday , at a $ 12 million post - money valuation .
Unlike distinctive dark kitchens , which serve as shared spaces for various restaurants , Sizl says it runs its own kitchens with a small squad of Ukrainian cooks and local culinary endowment from Chicago who prepare the food . It also has its own legal transfer messenger and even a mobile app where you may realise rewards .
Because dark kitchens typically run without a traditional dine - in infinite and focus solely on render takeout food orders , this can lead to repugnance in the food timber and gall .
A cardinal marketing stop for Sizl ’s objective audience , wellness - witting customers await for a nimble sting , is that the service provides “ fresh ingredients , ” cobalt - founder and COO Anastasia Kalinkina tell TechCrunch .
Sizl claim it source center and produce from local suppliers , including Greensys , an organic farm in central Illinois . However , the company let in to also working with large distributors like US Foods and Sysco , although it emphasizes that a significant dower of its ingredients come from local sources .
Additionally , many ghost kitchens tender a panoptic variety of nutrient but lack specialization . Sizl stands out by focusing principally on Eastern European culinary art , which could help it set itself apart from local eateries .
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Sizl ’s menu include only 60 items at a fourth dimension , ranging from dishes like chicken Kyiv and pierogies to everyday meals like grilled cheeseflower and spaghetti bolognese . Sizl has even contain Kalinkina ’s category recipes , including her grandmother ’s borscht and syrniki .
Sizl founder Kalinkina , Alex Kolesnikov ( CEO ) , Nick Delitski , and Kyrylo Kupin ( CMO ) are originally from Ukraine and have prior experience in building a dismal kitchen chain . They previously builtLocal Kitchen , which Kolesnikov noted scale to $ 46 million in annual revenue .
Another minus association with dingy kitchen is that they rely on third - party delivery program , impregnate Uber Eats , DoorDash , and Grubhub apps with virtual brand that are often aper of each other .
Although Sizl is also useable on these apps , it tell apart itself with its own wandering app that uses plot mechanics to absorb customers . Every metre a customer edict or logs in to the app , they collect themed cards that can be used to unlock payoff . Sizl also has an in - app currency ( mojis ) and mini game . to boot , Sizl offer 3 % hard cash back on all order .
The late round was led by Yellow Rocks ! , with involvement from Kinetik and several angel investor , include Mike Alexandrovski , who co - found delivery startup Borzo .
The funding will go toward orifice up to four additional kitchens in Chicago this year , contribute to its two be emplacement . It ’s also exploring expanding upon into Boston , Charlotte , and the San Francisco Bay Area .
Sizl tell it already has a Series A stave plan for later this year or early 2026 .
