Paltrow also says she was facing increased pressure from her East Coast loved ones. \u201cIt would have been a lot easier to stay closer to home to finish blanketing out California, but the demand from my family and friends that we bring this to the city was so relentless and overwhelming that I capitulated,\u201d Paltrow says.<\/p>\n
With 14 locations in California across Los Angeles and the Bay Area and three million orders already processed, Goop Kitchen is accelerating its pace of new restaurant openings and intends to operate 25 total locations by the end of 2026, including the brand\u2019s first-ever dine-in location. New York\u2019s initial batch of locations will include the East Williamsburg, Upper East Side, and Flatiron neighborhoods, all with a delivery radius ranging from one to three miles.<\/p>\n To mark the expansion to New York, Goop Kitchen also debuted its first-ever campaign, \u201cMade for New York,\u201d featuring Paltrow and other famous New Yorkers, including ballet dancer Jovani Furlan, New York Liberty women\u2019s basketball star Jonquel Jones, and content creator Coco Schiffer. The campaign will run on social channels like Instagram and TikTok, as well as local out-of-home marketing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have Gwyneth, who is our Upper East Side muse,\u201d Jena Wolfe, Goop Kitchen\u2019s vice president of marketing, tells Fast Company<\/em>. But Wolfe adds that it was critical that the campaign serve as a more expansive love letter to New York by featuring local artists, creators, and an athlete.<\/p>\n Goop Kitchen\u2019s focus has been almost completely on delivery and pickup orders, a concept known as a \u201cghost\u201d or “digital” kitchen, which lacks a physical dining space and relies on online orders to generate revenue. Across the industry, digital and delivery orders have each grown 4% over the past year, overperforming dine-in demand, according to market researcher Circana.<\/p>\n Goop Kitchen\u2019s plans to expand a relatively new restaurant chain in one of the most competitive restaurant markets in the U.S. may seem counterintuitive at a time when fast casual is under pressure. For 2026, Sweetgreen has projected a 2% to 4% drop in same-store sales, while Chipotle has predicted the same metric will be flat year over year. Privately held Panera Bread is spending $100 million more in its company-operated caf\u00e9s to fund menu innovation, boost the quality of food, and add extra labor hours.<\/p>\n Paltrow says Goop Kitchen, whose menu includes a $23 pepperoni pizza, $15 everyday kale and brussels salad, and $20 spring salmon bowl, is distinct in its operational approach. \u201cBecause we are very much not a restaurant, we are maximizing revenue per square foot, and therefore our unit economics are much more different than a restaurant,\u201d says Paltrow.<\/p>\n Traffic at fast-casual restaurants has grown 3% over the past year, Circana reports, doing far better than the 1% decline for full-service restaurants and flat traffic at QSR concepts. Fast-casual chains still benefit from a consumer perception that their food is healthier, higher quality, and even with the recent price hikes, is still deemed a value by diners.<\/p>\n David Portalatin, senior vice president and food and foodservice industry advisor for Circana, said that the largest, publicly traded fast-casual concepts were opening stores faster than they could lure new diners, putting pressure on their same-store sales figures and disappointing Wall Street investors. But, he says that the fast-casual chains were still taking market share.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is fast casual, as a segment, has maintained a pretty consistent gap on average eater check compared to traditional quick service restaurants,\u201d Portalatin tells Fast Company<\/em>.<\/p>\n Goop Kitchen CEO and Co-Founder Donald Moore tells Fast Company<\/em> that the chain differentiates itself by generating almost half of its business in the evening, while fast-casual chains are typically far stronger at lunch. Average checks are about $47, and there\u2019s very little menu modification allowed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no option to pick a salad, add chicken, and add dressing,\u201d says Moore. Goop Kitchen\u2019s $16 Italian salad features one of 40 different salamis that were tested. \u201cWe studied what\u2019s important to Gwyn, important to me and our chefs, and then tried to make something that\u2019s elevated,\u201d adds Moore. \u201cOn the food, the menu, the aesthetics, the picking the handle on one of our bags, to the fonts we use\u2014she’s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore is also a partner at DFG Ventures, which operates Goop Kitchen along with other brands including Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, Nice Day Chinese, and The Sausage Project. He says the research and packaging design efforts in California will prepare the chain for all of New York\u2019s delivery challenges, where boxes are jostled as bike messengers weave through crowded city streets.<\/p>\n Goop Kitchen developed custom packaging that has built-in compartments for dressing and sauces. Salads are stored in larger containers to make it easier for customers to mix at home. Goop Kitchen tests items for up to 45 minutes to simulate real delivery conditions, ensuring the food maintains the proper structure and temperature.<\/p>\n Prior to launching Goop Kitchen, Paltrow had established both credibility and controversy in the food space. The \u201cIron Man\u201d and \u201cShakespeare in Love\u201d actress has published several health-focused books, like \u201cThe Clean Plate: Eat, Reset, Heal\u201d and \u201cMy Father\u2019s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness.\u201d<\/p>\n There has also been a public evolution in Paltrow\u2019s approach to what it means to eat healthy foods, including ditching a yearslong commitment to the Paleo diet, which she acknowledged was too restrictive. Paltrow went viral on TikTok in 2023 when listing what she ate in a day; critics were quick to say Paltrow focused far too much of her diet on bone broth and vegetables.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want agency in their own health and wellness and the quickest way to feel better is to eat good, clean food,\u201d says Paltrow, adding that she\u2019s experienced trial and error throughout her personal two-decade wellness journey.<\/p>\n The broader Goop brand has faced setbacks over the years, including layoffs and a restructuring in 2024 to focus on three core areas: fashion, beauty, and food. Goop\u2019s budget beauty line and Target partnership were pulled off shelves in 2025, and a standalone London boutique was closed in 2021 after three years of operation.<\/p>\n This all shows that Goop Kitchen can only leverage Paltrow\u2019s brand halo to a limited extent. \u201cThe reality is the American consumer eats out at a restaurant, on average, above five times a week,\u201d says Portalatin. \u201cAnd we usually decide where we\u2019re going to eat based on: is the food good? Do I get a good experience?\u201d<\/p>\nA campaign built for New York<\/h2>\n
Not quite a restaurant<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit,w_1024\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/04\/i-91529612-goop-nyc-01.jpg\")
Why this model might work<\/h2>\n
Designing for delivery<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit,w_1024\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/04\/i-91529612-goop-nyc-03.jpg\")
The Goop factor<\/h2>\n