App-based delivery is creating a new type of eatery: more food, fewer staff and tighter margins. Hospitality Management Professor Linchi Kwok says a lack of interest in working in the hospitality industry, paired with rising labor costs, has pushed restaurant owners to find cost-effective workarounds to run their operations. “Limited-service restaurants don’t have to hire many people to do the work,” he says. “It saves labor costs, saves space, and saves the service turn-around time.”

This article was originally published by LAist on April 1, 2026.