CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The pandemic has forced restaurants to innovate.

For some, that means disguising themselves. The kitchen for Sea Level N.C. in uptown Charlotte also has a secret identity as a “ghost kitchen.”

It’s when a restaurant uses its existing space under a pseudonym, often with a different menu, to sell food for delivery to a new audience. Sea Level N.C. opened SNAP Shellfish to reach a new group of customers.

It's helping the restaurant find unique ways to extend hours so employees get more work. Some think this is a concept that might stick around long after the pandemic.

“It’s kind of fun just to play with; of people going, ‘wow, this is phenomenal. I wonder where it came from,’" SNAP Shellfish chef Andy Caswell says.

Ghost kitchens are also being used to test pop-up concepts. SNAP Shellfish has a pop-up scheduled at Lenny Boy Brewing on Sunday, March 14 at 1 p.m.