Clayton’s Kitchen brings ghost dining to Lehigh

Lehigh Dining and the Clayton University Center have introduced Clayton’s Kitchen, a new ghost kitchen located inside the building.

Announced on Sept. 15, the ghost kitchen offers a rotating pop-up concept featuring meals that aren’t offered elsewhere on campus. 

At Lehigh, orders are placed through the university’s Grubhub partnership. Students will see the location listed on the Grubhub app, where it appears alongside other campus dining locations. The pickup locker is located to the left of Clutch and Go on the first floor of the UC. 

Marquise Walker, the executive chef of Clayton’s Kitchen, said the restaurant will use existing equipment in the UC. The kitchen will have frequent menu changes without the need to redesign a storefront, change signage or rebrand.

He also said Lehigh Dining plans to collaborate with local restaurants and franchises to bring new options to campus.

Walker said one example is having Sizzling Bites Halal Grill, a restaurant in South Bethlehem, take over Clayton’s Kitchen to serve its signature dishes to students. He also said the kitchen may invite local food trucks to use the space during the winter when business tends to slow down.

In addition to local partners, Clayton’s Kitchen hopes to host guest chefs unaffiliated with the university to introduce a wider range of cuisines and cooking styles not typically found in other campus dining options.

Walker said because Clayton’s Kitchen is designed to encourage on-campus dining, he aims to offer prices lower than nearby off-campus restaurants to attract students while maintaining quality. 

He also said while a delivery option through the Grubhub app is not offered and was not initially planned as a feature of the kitchen, it’s something he will discuss with his supervisor, as it could help drive sales especially for students who study at Mountaintop Campus. 

Walker said each menu is expected to run for about a week, with typical hours of Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If a dish proves popular, it could return later in the semester or expand into dinner hours. 

One upcoming menu will feature a pineapple fried rice concept, which Walker said he is excited about.

“I love fried rice because you can add different things to it and it gives you a whole, totally different meal by adding spices, sauces, fruits and proteins,” Walker said.

Sous Chef Evelyn Romero is responsible for preparing and cooking certain items from Clayton’s Kitchen. So far, Romero has helped create dining options featuring empanadas. Other concepts from the kitchen include baked potatoes and fresh-baked goods. 

“From years of experience doing the same preparation, I know the cooking,” Romero said. “I know the temperature. I know the process. I know what each dish requires.”

(“Por experiencia de años de hacer lo mismo, de preparación, yo sé la cocción, sé la temperatura, sé el proceso y sé que es lo que lleva cada plato”).

Walker said he hopes the kitchen will gain popularity through word of mouth, and he and the Lehigh Dining team are open to hearing student feedback and ideas for future menus.

Carolina Hernandez, the assistant dean of students and director of community service, has worked at Lehigh for 24 years. She has a meal plan and said she often visits the UC for meals.

Though she has never ordered from a ghost kitchen before, Hernandez said she would love to try cultural dishes, rotating menus and items Lehigh Dining has previously offered. 

Hernandez said strong menu descriptions and better advertising could make her a regular customer at Clayton’s Kitchen. She said she would be willing to pay $10-12 for a dish she’s never tried before.

“It sounds super exciting,” Hernandez said. “I love the opportunity of trying different foods and not knowing what’s going to come up. Sounds like a fun adventure.”