One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Finally, There's An App That Breaks Down Koreatown Food And Brings It To Your Door
Galbi, Tofu Soup and Kimchi Dumplings from BCD House (Photo by Juliet Bennett Rylah/LAist)
If you live near Koreatown, then you know you have a bevy of delicious food options in any direction. However, you might have noticed that many Korean restaurants aren't popping up on most mobile delivery apps. Some don't offer menus in English and can be intimidating to the non-Korean speaker. RushOrder has specifically targeted Ktown to provide the easy order and delivery of authentic meals from over 50 area restaurants.Henry Choi of RushOrder said that the company decided to hone in on the Koreatown scene only recently, though the app has been around since winter of 2014. He and several other team members grew up or lived in Koreatown and were familiar with the cuisine, and were able to curate a list of the best restaurants to approach.
"One of our goals is to make Korean food more accessible to the non-Korean speaking demographic with translated menus, and by avoiding the need to call in orders, which may present language barrier issues for a lot of these places," he told LAist.
RushOrder's Eric Kim said that Koreatown has been an untapped market for delivery apps for the past decade, pointing out that GrubHub's been around since 2004 (before Facebook!). And while these other apps can get you great Thai food or a pizza, or even $20 worth of milkshakes, Korean cuisine tends to be absent. Similarly, Kim said that RushOrder also wants to tap into the other similar markets, like Chinatown or the San Gabriel Valley, for the same reason.
"There are also a lot of hidden treasures that won't be on these other mobile apps," he said.
RushOrder invited us to try their app out, so last night we put in an order at one of their recommendations, BCD Tofu House. Other restaurants on the list include the German-Korean fusion of Biergarten, Korean fried chicken joint KyoChon, numerous other traditional Korean eateries, as well as non-Korean restaurants offering sandwiches, Brazilian fare, desserts and more. Admittedly not as intimating as for a non-Korean speaker as some of the other eateries in the neighborhood, BCD Tofu House does have several traditional Korean options. We tried the kimchi dumplings, original soon beef tofu stew and the galbi (bbq short rib).
The app showed me when the order was received, when it was being prepared and when it was ready for delivery. I also received a text that let me know when the driver was on his way.
The food came hot and neatly packaged in less than an hour, and I was able to pay and tip all using my phone. There is a small service fee added to the total (ours was $0.89, and some restaurants may also charge a delivery fee.
Sponsored message
RushOrder is available for download now on both iOS and Android platforms. The app is free.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
