Wow Bao opening a new 'dark kitchen' in Brighton for take-out Asian food.

BRIGHTON — There's a second restaurant operating behind the scenes at Olga's Kitchen in Brighton.

Chicago-based Asian restaurant Wow Bao has a new "dark kitchen" — often referred to as ghost kitchens — at 8485 W. Grand River Ave. The eatery only takes online food orders at wowbao.com and through third-party delivery service apps, including Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Brighton's location also offers take-out — but customers can't order or dine in-person.

Wow Bao CEO Geoff Alexander told The Daily they launched in January 2020 "as a way for restaurants to create additional revenue."

"When the pandemic hit, our system was already in place," Alexander said. "We were able to help so many people during the dark days of the industry, and we can continue to."

The menu includes dishes like potstickers, chicken bowls, egg rolls and dumplings. The "bao" in the restaurant's name refers to bao buns, which originate from Chinese cuisine.

Olga's Kitchen employees prepare Wow Bao orders for delivery, and the restaurant keeps 40 percent of the revenue with no additional overhead.

Alexander said Olga's Kitchen is one of a large number of partnering businesses. Wow Bao kitchens operate out of national restaurants, mom and pop eateries, hotels and other establishments.

"We can do cruise ships, college campuses, sports stadiums," Alexander said.

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There are more than 700 of the kitchens in the U.S. and Canada.

Wow Bao also operates brick-and-mortar locations, including three restaurants in Chicago, seven locations inside airports, and others. They also sell frozen foods at around 5,000 grocery stores.

— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. 

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Asian restaurant Wow Bao set to open a new dark kitchen in Brighton