# Sous Vide Dark Kitchens Cuisine Solutions and Pret A Manger are Debuting a DAK Concept in NYC By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2021-01-08 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dark-kitchen References: [prnewswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cuisine-solutions-partners-with-pret-a-manger-to-debut-first-sous-vide-dark-assembly-kitchen-dak-in-new-york-city-301202432.html) & [cuisinesolutions](https://www.cuisinesolutions.com/) Cuisine Solutions is partnering with [Pret A Manger](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pret-a-manger-super-plates) to launch a dark kitchen and the world's first sous vide Dark [Assembly Kitchen](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-assembly) (DAK) concept. The concept is coming to New York City and it will operate out of Pret A Manger's midtown location using fully cooked, sous vide products for a minimal contact cooking process. CS DAK will offer a variety of direct-to-consumer cuisine concepts such as The Cutting Edge by CS DAK, [Cocina Oscura](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mexican-style-cheeses) by CS DAK and Mediterranean by CS DAK, all of which can be ordered by Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash. At a time when restaurants are being challenged with indoor dining closures, virtual kitchen concepts are emerging to make the most of available spaces within both commercial kitchens or restaurants. Image Credit: Cuisine Solutions ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.0/10 - Popularity: 63% | Activity: 78% | Freshness: 9% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Dark Kitchens with Sous Vide:** Opportunity to explore the growth of dark kitchen concepts and applications of sous vide cooking in direct-to-consumer cuisine. - **Virtual Kitchen Concepts:** Opportunity to expand the virtual kitchen concepts during times of shutdowns, limited space utilization and home deliveries through online food ordering apps. - **Minimal Contact Cooking:** Opportunity to explore further the techniques of minimal contact cooking through sous vide method and its application in contactless delivery models. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Food Delivery:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in food delivery models by partnering with restaurants and delivering fully cooked, sous vide products with minimal contact cooking process. - **Virtual Restaurants:** Opportunity to explore virtual restaurant concepts and their successful models to expand food delivery businesses during times of indoor dining closures. - **Food Processing:** Opportunity for food processing companies to partner in developing sous vide products and exploring minimal contact cooking techniques for direct-to-consumer cuisine. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sauce-Focused Virtual Restaurants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dukes-sauce-shack.md) - [Frozen Sous-Vide Entrees](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kevins-natural-foods.md) - [Premium Virtual Restaurants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kitchen-hub1.md) - [Food-Tech Delivery Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kitchin.md) - [Ghost Kitchen Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lunchbox-virturant.md) - [Self-Serve Automated Food Lockers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/food-lockers-1.md) - [Water-Free Sous Vide Cookers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sous-vide-cooker.md) - [Airport Ghost Kitchens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/reef.md) - [Virtual Dining Brand Collaborations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/man-vs-fries.md)