I understand there's more land in Orange County that can be used but for this instance I feel it would have been a better use to have the parking be underground. I'm not compared them to LA but LA has been doing them for decades. In fact the Hollywood and Highland complex has a whole train station underground with a parking structure.
On my dad's side of the family, there's a tradition ("costumbre") that if you invite someone out to lunch, dinner, or any other outing, you're expected to pay for the entire bill. Is this a common custom in other families and cultures, or is it just a trait unique to my family?
I mean even my half-- brothers try pulling this on me.
Hello, currently working on this concept for an app using Claude. Let me know if it's scalable idea to pursue or waste of time.
What works well technically
Users create a "wish list" of meals or groceries (you build this in your app)
A buyer picks items and pays through your platform
Your backend places the order via a delivery API, using the recipient's address but masked from the buyer
Recipient never sees who paid — anonymity is handled on your end
The delivery API reality
This is the key challenge. The three platforms have different levels of openness:
DoorDash — has a Drive API for businesses to place delivery orders programmatically. Most viable path.
Uber Eats — has an Eats API but it's heavily gated, primarily for enterprise restaurant partners. Hard to access as a startup.
Instacart — has a Platform API but it's also enterprise-focused and requires a partnership agreement.
So realistically, DoorDash Drive is your best starting point, with Instacart as a stretch goal.
The anonymity layer
You'd store the recipient's address server-side. When an order is placed, your backend sends the address to the delivery API — the buyer only ever sees something like "Gift delivered to Sarah in Austin, TX." Totally doable.
The real challenges to think through
Fraud — anonymous gifting is a common vector for abuse (stalking, harassment). You'd need address verification and recipient opt-in controls.
API access — you'll likely need to apply as a business and may face waitlists.
Margins — delivery platforms take big cuts. You'd need to mark up orders or charge a service fee to be sustainable.
Recipient onboarding — the person receiving gifts needs to have joined your platform and shared their address willingly. A "wish list link" model (like a registry) would handle this naturally.
The cleanest MVP path
Build it as a gifting registry: recipient signs up, saves their address privately, shares a wish list link. Buyers browse and pay. Your backend places the DoorDash order. Simple, legal, and the anonymity is a feature, not a workaround.
It took this dude a while to squeeze in between parking spots, up in front of store. (whole foods, El Sugundo)
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