New York, NY – Despite assurances from the food delivery sites Grub-Hub and Seamless that they would overhaul their restaurant verification process following an I-Team investigation that unearthed dozens of “ghost” eateries, a follow-up by the news team reveals that at least one “ghost” kitchen is still operating, this time at the expense of a midtown Kosher bistro.
NBCNEWYORK.com reports that the scam began to unravel when an I-Team rep ordered food from Seamless-sponsored Mike’s Bistro Asian Fusion said to be located on West 72nd Street.
When the I-Team got to the address, they found an empty restaurant with only an old Mike’s Bistro sign and a “For Lease” placard in the window.
With prior knowledge that Mike’s Bistro on 72nd Street was not listed on the city’s Department of Health grading website, an I-Team member placed an order of edamame and vegetable dumplings from the number on the suspicious Seamless listing.
Within minutes a man riding a bike came up 72nd Street with the order.
When pressed, the man could not reveal where the food was cooked and a callback to the restaurant ended quickly when the I-Team rep began asking questions.
In reality, the old Mike’s Bistro moved over a year ago to 54th Street and is operating as a Kosher eatery.
When shown the food, Mike’s Bistro manager David Zinstein said, “This is definitely not my food.
We try to hold a very high standard. Especially in the Kosher world—which has to be Kosher food anything saying Mike’s Bistro could affect our business.”
