2023 Summer Valparaiso Magazine

CULINARY ADVENTURES AWAIT | THE LINCOLN KITCHEN
RESTAURANT
DELIVERY
Eric Berindei, and his
daughter Ellie Berindei
serve a customer at
The Lincoln Kitchen
LINCOLN KITCHEN IS THE FIRST AND ONLY GHOST KITCHEN IN VALPARAISO.
By Haleigh Vander Vinne
14 SUMMER 2023 |
f you think about it, nearly every mall has a
food court. An assortment of restaurants circle
around a large seating area. The shoppers have the
option to choose from any of the restaurants and meet in
the middle to dine. Now, picture a food court but with one
register, one location, and several options for delivery and
pick up. That’s what Lincoln Kitchen is, the first and
only ghost kitchen in Valparaiso.
A Virtual Food Court
Owner Eric Berindei describes Lincoln Kitchen as a “virtual food court”
where you can order online or at their location on 704 Silhavy Road
and choose from nearly 15 different restaurants to be picked up or
delivered. “It’s a good place to go if you or someone else can’t decide
on one type of food or one restaurant,” said Berindei. Lincoln Kitchen
offers cheesecakes from Maurices Signature Cheesecakes, tacos and
burritos from Tony’s Tacos, burgers from Big D’s Eats, Holmeboy’s hot
dogs, and Bao’s egg rolls and potstickers; it is also home to Jennylynn’s
Gluten Free Kitchen, Phat Wraps, The Melt, The A.M. Cafe, Wow Bao,
Bobalicious, and Trailer Birds.
Perfect Spot for Startup Restaurants to Grow
Lincoln Kitchen adds a community-invested kitchen to Valparaiso that
encourages startups to open a restaurant and local, regional, and
national restaurants to add a new location. Providing five rentable
kitchens, shared fridge and freezer, and a physical location, Lincoln
Kitchen lays the groundwork for restaurants to flourish without
spending money on a brick-and-mortar storefront. The restaurants
operate in fully functional kitchens with everything they need to cook
food, create recipes, and experiment with flavors. “Nearly every day
someone is trying something new or figuring out what they can add to
their menu, a new item for a weekly special, or can they try and cook
something a little different than they normally do,” described Berindei.
What Inspired Berindei to Switch
from Trading to Food Delivery?
One day, Berindei was hungry at home, but wanted to enjoy his meal
without leaving his house. Because Door Dash and Uber Eats had yet to
become commonplace in Northwest Indiana at the time, Berindei got
creative. “I had an Uber driver's number saved in my phone. I called and
asked him, ‘If we order food online, would you bring it to us?’ and they
did,” explained Berindei. The next day, Berindei’s wheels were spinning
on how he could fulfill the region’s need for food delivery. The answer:
start a restaurant delivery service. And so, Delivery.com was born.
He believed he could handle the day-to-day operations of running a
food delivery service while keeping his full-time trading job. “The
business became much more involved than that. I wanted to see it
through, so I committed full time to it,” commented Berindei. Always
looking for the next exciting venture, Berindei learned about ghost