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David Chang Is Launching a Delivery-Only Momofuku Restaurant Called Ando

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Also, the Changster is planning a massive new location of Fuku and a million more Milk Bars.

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David Chang has a secret subterranean space in Midtown where he's developing a delivery-only restaurant called Ando along with chef J.J. Basil. The restaurant will offer things like chicken cheesesteaks and tofu bowls via an app that's currently in development, and UberRush will handle the delivery. Chang is working with Expa, a start-up lab that was co-founded by Uber's Garrett Camp, on this new project. Chang tells Fast Company: "It's called Ando, but it's another Momofuku restaurant. I view this as no different than Nishi." Christina Tosi is developing three new Milk Bar cookies for this project, and Ando will also offer a secret fried chicken bucket item that guests can unlock using the app. The business is similar in many ways to Maple, the meal delivery start-up that still counts Chang as an investor and its chief culinary officer. Ando is slated to launch later this spring in Manhattan, only.

In other Momo world domination news, Chang plans to open a "new, larger version of Fuku" later this year, and the chef and his crew might add vegetarian and fish options to the menu. Also, expect more Milk Bar locations. Chang and Christina Tosi currently operate seven outposts, but that number could double by the end of 2016. Tosi is also contemplating "Milk Bar-branded vending machines." And on the media side of the empire, Chang and editorial partner in crime Peter Meehan are talking to producers about a possible new cooking show staring the Changster that could be a riff on the "dump and stir" style program.

In the midst of planning all of these new ventures, Chang says that he's trying to switch up his management style, and improve the pay and working conditions within his company. Chang explains: "When you have drinks with your friends, particularly in this business, you talk shit about your workplace...I want this to be a place where people aren’t talking shit. They’re like, ‘Sorry, guys, I know you’re all unhappy with your jobs, but I love mine.’ " As Momofuku grows, Chang and partner Drew Salmon are also open to the possibility of someone taking over as the company head. Chang explains:

If someone can do this better than me, fantastic....Because I am ill-suited for this position. Really! I don’t know how to do half the shit that we’re doing. I know how to run a kitchen; I know how to develop food. I know how to work with chefs. But the whole other side, of being a company head? There’s a lot I don’t know. I’m at a point where maybe I’ve given it the best that I’ve got, and I don’t know if I’m the guy who can take it forward. It would be foolish to think that we’re not at a crossroads.

If you hear anything about the new Milk Bar or Fuku locations, let us know.

Ando

31 West 14th St, New York, NY 10011 Visit Website