This morning, David Chang pressed the launch button on Momofuku's first-ever delivery-only restaurant, Ando. Access to the ordering app was granted to the first 200 people who signed up. The delivery zone limited is currently limited to a chunk of Midtown, and service is only available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eater reader Mike C. was one of the lucky Ando users who both got access to the system and had a Midtown East delivery address. Mike notes: "Estimated delivery was 11:40 to 12:10 after offering at 11:24, and it arrived at 11:47." You can find photos of all of the dishes and packaging here.
Chang tells The Verge: "This is an extension of Momofuku, and if anything I think it's idiosyncratic. And when I say that, I mean we stick to what we think is right... I don't think this is going to be for everybody, but we want everyone to enjoy it." The app was created in collaboration with Expa, a start-up lab built by Uber's Garrett Camp. Chang and Hooman Radfar — the Expa partner who helped build the app — want to expand service soon, but they aren't saying when more users will be able to get access to the menu yet. Uber Rush is handling the delivery, but Radfar says that Ando's backend can "plug in to any third party delivery service vendor." It's also possible that someday, users will be able to order through channels like Facebook and Slack.
Photo: Ando
Chang is an investor in Maple, another food-delivery service, but he's not worried about being his own competition. For one thing, Ando is committed to serving comfort food, while Maple skews a bit healthier. Plus, the chef and his team believe that there's a lot of room for growth in the delivery market. Chang tells The Verge: "I would look at it as, I have Noodle Bar and I have Ssam Bar two-and-a-half blocks away from each other. Very different restaurants....I feel that at the same time, they serve the same clientele. It's a huge pie. I don't think anyone is ever going to have a monopoly on it."
If you win the Ando lottery and decide to order, let us know what you think.