“Ghost kitchen” helps restaurateur survive

By Mike Switzer

Published June 10, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

Provided

Kipp Shives, owner of Granby Burger

After a series of unfortunate setbacks, our next guest decided to run his restaurant business out of what is known in the industry as a ghost kitchen. Since that has proven to be successful, he will soon be once again moving into his own brick and mortar restaurant sometime this summer. Mike Switzer interviews Kipp Shives, owner of Granby Burger, currently operating out of Lucky’s Bar in Columbia’s Five Points.

Kipp Shives

Granby logo

Tags

Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

See stories by Mike Switzer