This startup wants to replace the neighborhood bodega, and people aren't happy

A new startup could give beloved neighborhood bodegas a run for their money.
Former Google employees Paul McDonald and Ashwath Rajan have developed a concept called Bodega, which stocks corner store goods without the corner store charm. The items are displayed in glass pantry boxes, akin to vending machines, which are set up in apartments, gyms, college dorms, and offices. Each case carries different products, depending on what the company has assessed to be the most popular items in that particular community. "Each community tends to have relatively homogenous tastes, given that they live or work in the same place,” McDonald told Fast Company. "By studying their buying behavior, we're hoping to eventually figure out how the needs of people in one apartment building differ from those in another."
On Wednesday, the startup installed 50 new Bodegas on the West Coast. By the end of next year, McDonald "hopes to have more than a thousand," Fast Company reported. If this startup is successful, it could very well push the mom-and-pop corner shops — institutions embedded in city life — out of business.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Already, a bodega vs. Bodega battle is bubbling up. Aside from potentially putting the brick-and-mortar stores out of business, the startup has also christened itself with the same Spanish term used to describe the small stores, which are usually run by people of Latin American or Asian origin. The startup even borrowed the trope of the bodega cat for its logo. "It's disrespecting all the mom-and-pop bodega owners that started these businesses in the '60s and '70s," said Frank Garcia, the chairman of the New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Garcia argued that Bodegas aren't really bodegas because "real bodegas are all about human relationships within a community, having someone you know greet you and make the sandwich you like."
McDonald brushed off concerns that the company's name might be "culturally insensitive," Fast Company reported. "I'm not particularly concerned about it," he said.
Read the full story at Fast Company.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year