US startups such as Postmates aren’t just delivering food, they’re opening kitchens too

Postmates couriers Gus Peroba, left, Demiries Mendez and Gabriel Figueroa outside a commissary kitchen for Tatsu Ramen near downtown Los Angeles that prepares ramen orders to go. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

SAN FRANCISCO: Last fall, the delivery startup Postmates approached Los Angeles noodle house Tatsu Ramen with an offer: The startup would rent a commissary kitchen just west of downtown in an area with a dearth of ramen restaurants. It would supply all the equipment needed to make steaming bowls of ramen. And Tatsu could use it, with no upfront charge, to prepare dishes for delivery. 

The catch? Tatsu could use the kitchen only to prep orders for Postmates, and Postmates would take a larger commission from each sale.