Photo via Diane Bondareff/Associated Press
David Chang’s investment in delivery app/storefront-less restaurant Maple is well publicized, but the Momofuku chef and CEO has no interest in stopping there. Chang recently announced the advent of a new delivery-only restaurant joining the Momofuku empire – this one known as Ando, completing the homage to instant-ramen inventor Momofuku Ando.
Ando should debut in Spring in Midtown East, with a mobile ordering platform and delivery by UberRush. Unlike Maple, Ando food will veer away from the healthy, veggie-heavy options and more toward original comfort food inventions. Many of the recipes are collaborations between Chang himself and J.J. Basil (formerly of wd~50), like Chicken Cheesesteak with homemade American cheese sauce. There will also be cookies from Milk Bar‘s Christina Tosi, and possibly secret items like a fried chicken bucket that can be unlocked from the app.
Chang is adamant that Ando is just another Momofuku restaurant, even if the servers have to go a little further to reach the guests. With a different aesthetic and options, he hopes that competition with Maple will be limited – and mobile restaurants will become just one more way to get the Fuku-fix.
To read more about Ando, click here, and check back later this week for a spotlight on Maple.
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