This is precisely what’s happening now in the Echo Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, as reported by ridesharing media. Residents are complaining about the hordes of delivery riders waiting for their customers’ orders to arrive from the kitchen, blocking the main thoroughfare. Here’s the story.
Infuriated
Residents in this neighborhood in Los Angeles are fuming in seemingly endless anger over the literally hordes of delivery drivers clogging up the streets while waiting for orders from the kitchen of this particular “ghost kitchen.”
The restaurant being issued, Echo Park Eats, is a ghost kitchen serving as a central hub for app-based food delivery services. A ghost kitchen is technically also a diner, but it’s actually more of a business, a kitchen that prepares food ordered online for delivery directly to customers.
According to the media, Echo Park Eats opened in 2023 on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Douglas Street. These areas are popular amongst locals and tourists, so if there are just drivers waiting for orders, it’s really a pain.
Complaints
One of the residents, who couldn’t resist their anger, already aired their grievance over to the media, saying the wave of these drivers, many of whom idle in the red zones and, worse, even double parking, are disrupting the lives of innocent residents.
“The first day that they opened business, it was chaotic, unorganized, and it’s just such a nuisance now,” she complained.
Then, for another resident, these delivery riders, mostly men, would even party it up, bringing their own chairs and snacks, while waiting for their orders under a tree shade near the complainant’s house. Are these men Southeast Asian?
He never waited for authorities and businesses to take action, so he just had to cut off the tree, so the riders would move to another place where there’s shade, probably far from the house. After all, the complainant has every right to do so.
Worst things
Other residents are alright with the crowding, but what they couldn’t stand was the smell. Awful.
Interestingly, the business is reportedly led by a co-founder of Uber. Measures were already taken to fix the issue, like requiring a permit to park along streets and sending out patrol officers, but it is still a work in progress.
The local government recognizes the grave problem, but admits that the business is considered a catering business, so it is protected by law, as history proves. However, the authorities are already actively working on various approaches to help residents “get their streets back,” the media pointed out.