Hot on the heels of Maple’s closure, NYC restaurants are stepping up their delivery game in some very thirsty ways. The latest: Momofuku ringleader David Chang’s delivery-only restaurant Andowas spotted in Union Square today handing out $7 coupons for first-time users.

Chang recently admitted he’s made some mistakes with his delivery-only restaurant. “There’s a lot to figure out, and lots of mistakes to be made,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s really hard. It’s an extraordinarily difficult business that someone is going to win, and it’s something that I’m really fascinated by.” Looks like the latest tactic to “win” is cash incentives. Eater has reached out to Chang for comment.

It’s apparently rough out there for food startups in NYC, a space in which coupons are handed out like candy. MealPal’s been begging people via email using $40 enticements, and Sweetgreen is on The Level Up offering $3 discounts. It’s not really anything new — you still can’t walk past a restaurant in Little Italy without being accosted to patronize — but restaurants are now taking a tactic from start-ups like Uber and Lyft.

The stench of Maple’s death is strong and no one wants the cloud to land on them.

• Delivery Start-Up Maple Is Dead [ENY]
• MealPal Is The Thirstiest Food Start-Up in NYC Right Now [ENY]
• David Chang Admits He’s Made Some Mistakes With Delivery Service Ando [ENY]

[“Source-ndtv”]