Pasadena’s Timeless Lucky Boy Sues Postmates for Unfair Business Practices

Pasadena staple Lucky Boy, known for its massive breakfast burritos and Greek diner staple favorites, is suing food delivery app company Postmates over what it says is unfair business practices. Per Pasadena Now, the restaurant is alleging that Postmates “uses its name without authorization and intentionally posts a menu bearing incorrect information for the diner, including lower prices.” What’s more, Pasadena Now says, ownership believes that Postmates has even gone so far as to “retaliate” against the company by showing “alternatives with similar food when Lucky Boy is searched for, and this too diverts business away from Lucky Boy,” echoing language found in the suit filed this week in LA federal court.

More than anything, Lucky Boy ownership says, they simply would like nothing to do with Postmates or any other delivery app, because the companies charge too much in fees — and have been found in the past to list restaurants without their knowledge, though a new California law has since made listing restaurants without their consent a crime. Lucky Boy is far from the first restaurant to attempt to renounce delivery apps because of what some say are predatory practices during the ongoing global pandemic, but it is one of the first local restaurants to sue.

In other news:

• Mellow strip mall hangout Jay’s Bar in Silver Lake quietly changed hands during the pandemic, with new owner Jason Easton — who also owns Little Tokyo’s My Ramen Bar — coming on to run the place formally earlier this month. Now the Eastsider is reporting that Easton has died suddenly of a heart attack at just 44; his wife Mayuko Easton is said to be continuing on with the bar.
• There’s a new outdoor dining setup at Spago, reports the LA Times, complete with slatted modular walls and 6,500 square feet of eating, drinking, and hanging out space. The area is called Spago L’extérieur, and takes over basically the entirety of the cul-de-sac out front.
• Apryl’s Life is a new healthy juice pop-up being run by a former manager at Simply Wholesome in South LA.
• Chef Roy Choi and his Kogi BBQ team are giving away a bunch of free food to hospitality workers in need on Sunday down in Long Beach. Check out his Twitter account for all the details.

• The B Sweet Dessert Bar team is doing one final blowout weekend of their ongoing BSweetland restaurant-within-a-restaurant idea. Basically, chef/owner Barb Batistte is a massive Disneyland fan, and because she missed the place so much she recreated (in B Sweet’s own way) a bunch of the greatest hits from the park, even earning a write up from the Disney Food Blog along the way. The final time to try it all is this weekend.
• Chef Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish is ready for his return pop-up at Neuehouse in Hollywood. To go along with the revival is a Monday, March 1 talk with Life & Thyme about the future of America’s food sourcing, and how to think equitably about what’s on the plate.
• Damian in the Arts District returns on March 3 for patio dining. The Enrique Olvera project has been closed since last fall.
• Pork-loving pop-up the Bad Jew by chef Rebecca King is running a monthlong residency at Employees Only’s Summer Social Club outdoors space in West Hollywood. The whole thing formally kicks off on Monday, March 1, though King has been showcasing some dishes on site already.