Ando

Ando, the delivery-only restaurant venture, was founded in 2016 by renowned restaurateur David Chang, the driving force behind the Momofuku restaurant group. This enterprise was a collaborative effort with Expa, a startup accelerator co-founded by Uber's Garrett Camp. The company's name, along with Momofuku, pays homage to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles. Chang's extensive experience in creating successful restaurant concepts was applied to tackle the specific challenges of food delivery, aiming to create meals that maintained quality and temperature during transit.

The business operated as a "ghost kitchen" or delivery-only restaurant, initially serving the Midtown East area of Manhattan before expanding. This model eliminated the need for a physical dine-in location, focusing solely on preparing food for delivery. Clients placed orders through a dedicated mobile app, the company's website, or Seamless, with deliveries exclusively handled by UberRUSH. Revenue was generated directly from the sale of these meals. The menu, curated by Chang and former wd-50 chef J.J. Basil, featured a blend of Asian-inspired dishes and American comfort food, such as cheesesteaks and exclusive cookies from Milk Bar's Christina Tosi. The core concept was to offer high-quality food specifically engineered for the delivery experience, a significant differentiator in the crowded food delivery market.

In November 2016, Ando secured $7 million in a Series A funding round, which included angel investments from celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and Aziz Ansari. Despite its ambitious goals, the venture ultimately concluded with its acquisition by Uber Eats in January 2018. Following the acquisition, Ando ceased its direct-to-consumer operations. The deal was positioned as a strategic acquisition for Uber Eats, which sought to integrate Ando's team and operational knowledge to enhance its own platform and provide valuable insights to its restaurant partners on improving kitchen efficiency for delivery.

Keywords: food delivery, David Chang, ghost kitchen, cloud kitchen, delivery-only restaurant, Momofuku, Uber Eats, virtual restaurant, New York City, Expa