Soon after I moved into this place in 2015, I received a flyer from a "restaurant" and all my neighbors got the same one. This flyer was a high-quality glossy print with menu from an ostensibly Chinese delivery joint. It was notable in having no physical address, no website, no delivery area delineated. When I called the number, it was some sort of mailbox-full or disconnected from a mobile carrier. It was totally hinky, so I call the cops and they're like, "we can't do anything about this if there's no victim" so I guess unless they were stealing my credit card, there was nothing to be done. I suspect that it was an early "ghost kitchen" sort of situation.
Later I received more flyers from a joint with a different name, but the same style of flyer and all. I look them up online and they have an address that's supposedly right across the street, but no legit business exists there, just a vacancy. They're on Facebook too with a similarly faked address. I grumble and figure there's nothing to be done.
Later, I found a whole passel of these ghost kitchens had coalesced in an industrial-zoned district nearby. Apparently there's a building named "Food Court" that houses them all, and they all advertise through GrubHub and DoorDash, etc. Once, I accidentally ordered from one of them, and they indeed sent me a passable Thai larb. I was kinda shocked, and they inserted a coupon for a competing food delivery service, which I informed GH about.
These days I just try to be careful and spot the ghost kitchens while ordering. I really only order from legit chains or local places with a real reputation for having a real location, real food, and real employees. Usually someplace I've physically traveled to, sat down and ate food there. YMMV.
Later I received more flyers from a joint with a different name, but the same style of flyer and all. I look them up online and they have an address that's supposedly right across the street, but no legit business exists there, just a vacancy. They're on Facebook too with a similarly faked address. I grumble and figure there's nothing to be done.
Later, I found a whole passel of these ghost kitchens had coalesced in an industrial-zoned district nearby. Apparently there's a building named "Food Court" that houses them all, and they all advertise through GrubHub and DoorDash, etc. Once, I accidentally ordered from one of them, and they indeed sent me a passable Thai larb. I was kinda shocked, and they inserted a coupon for a competing food delivery service, which I informed GH about.
These days I just try to be careful and spot the ghost kitchens while ordering. I really only order from legit chains or local places with a real reputation for having a real location, real food, and real employees. Usually someplace I've physically traveled to, sat down and ate food there. YMMV.