After eight years, this Kansas City food concept has shut down
ClusterTruck, a delivery-only restaurant operating in Kansas City for the past eight years, has shut down operations.
“ClusterTruck Kansas City has closed,” its website states. “As we focus on franchising ClusterTruck, we hope to return to KC with the right local partner.”
Launched in 2016 in Indiana by former software engineer Chris Baggott, ClusterTruck distinguished itself well before the 2020 boom in delivery-only food businesses, sometimes called “ghost kitchens.” The company creates its own restaurant brands, prepares food in a centralized kitchen and uses its own fleet of gig drivers, eliminating the need for third-party delivery apps.
“If you use a third-party delivery service, the restaurant is going to cook the food, but they have no idea where the delivery person is or when they’re going to show up. So the food is cooked, but it just sits there,” Baggott said in 2018, explaining the concept. “What if I knew where the delivery person was, and I didn’t cook the food until the delivery person was the right distance away from the kitchen?”
Kansas City was one of ClusterTruck’s first expansion markets, opening with a River Market kitchen in 2017. There was no dine-in space, and the delivery zone was modest, reaching downtown, the Crossroads and parts of North Kansas City. Customers could order a wide range of food, from pizza to pad thai to buffalo chicken wraps.
The company is in the process of pivoting to a franchise model, licensing its tech and kitchen infrastructure to local entrepreneurs.
“Continuing to operate (in Kansas City) while expanding the brand via franchising would stretch our resources and potentially compromise the quality and service you deserve,” CEO Janet Monroe said in a note to local customers. “This was not an easy decision. Kansas City has been a wonderful home to us, and we are incredibly grateful for your loyalty, enthusiasm, and support.”
Clustertruck encouraged those interested in the franchise program to check out ownaclustertruck.com to learn more.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
