Man Ties The Knot At His Viral Sandwich Shop Before It Closes For Good
In a long post on Facebook, Josh announced the closing of Gino's and also invited people to attend his wedding party. Talking about why he had to shut shop, he wrote, "It's not because of the economy, or slow sales, or because people suddenly lost their appetite for cheesesteaks. It comes down to something a lot simpler: our landlord chose not to renew our lease. We'd been in talks for months. It always felt like we were right on the edge of getting a new deal done. It dragged closer and closer to our lease's end date, but I was assured it was basically a formality. Then, just three days before the lease ran out, I got word: the landlord decided not to move forward. No explanation. And you know what? That's commercial real estate. It's a tough, cutthroat game, and sometimes you're the one left standing without a chair when the music stops."
Also Read: Zomato Agent's Priceless Reaction To Surprise Birthday Bash By Customers
He speculated about possible reasons why his lease fell through and concluded that it wasn't due to a personal reason. Although it was a big blow, he said, "At the end of the day, I can't hold bitterness. The landlord did what he did, and I can't change it. I only wish it had played out in a way where this all wasn't happening at the last minute." He then went on to explain that he has been with the restaurant's co-owner, Joe, for 16 years. He revealed, "He's always been more reserved than I and never wanted to be named in these stories, and I mostly respected that. Sort of. All those times I talked about 'the accountant'? That was Joe. We had planned to get married this fall, right here at the restaurant. When that suddenly wasn't in the cards anymore, we decided to fast-track it."
Through this Facebook post, he invited people to come and enjoy free food and drink from 5 to 8 pm the next day. It would be a part of their wedding celebration as well as a farewell event for the establishment."We didn't get a whole lot of notice that this was happening, and we've gotta clear out the coolers anyway. This felt like the most fun, most 'on-brand' way to close. Once we run out, we run out." Instead of wedding gifts, he encouraged attendees to leave cash tips, which would then be shared with the shop's staff to help them during this sudden transition.
Also Read:
After the final service, the shop's contents will be moved to two storage units. Josh expressed being open to new ventures, although he isn't sure what the next chapter is for him. "Another location? Maybe. A new concept? Possibly. A future partnership? Who knows. I'm open to anything and everything that comes my way. In the meantime, I'll finally have a chance to finish my book, maybe start a podcast. You know, typical midlife crisis stuff brought on by crushing trauma," he concluded.
The post, the couple and their shop received a lot of love in the comments section.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Swiggy rolls out DeskEats for office goers after losses widen in Q1
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy has rolled out 'DeskEats' for working professionals in over 7,000 tech parks across 30 cities as it aims to tap into consumers seeking hassle-free food delivery during work announcement comes a few days after the Bengaluru-based company reported its June quarter numbers, in which its losses doubled and cash burn increased. Swiggy 's net loss doubled year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,197 crore, while it spent Rs 1,053 crore of cash on a net basis, after accounting for operating, investing, and financing activities. The Bengaluru-based company's operating revenue for the quarter increased 54% to Rs 4,961 DeskEats, Swiggy will be offering value combos, munchies, healthy nibbles, and more, which focus on satisfying the needs of office goers. Users can access this by typing 'office' or 'work' on the Swiggy app.'With the launch of DeskEats, we've reimagined how food delivery fits into a busy, high-performance workday. Whether it's a quick bite between meetings or a team treat after a deadline, DeskEats is built to match the rhythm of an office day,' Deepak Maloo, vice president, food strategy, customer experience & new initiatives, Swiggy, said in a prepared added that while it is easy to have any food delivered at the office, it is often difficult to find food that is packed in a way that is easy to consume at the desk while DeskEats is part of its other similar initiatives, such as '99 store,' which is aimed at attracting price-conscious users and high-frequency Gen Z a close look at Swiggy's Q1 FY2026 results shows that after two quarters of slowing growth, Swiggy's food delivery business—its largest segment—gathered pace at 19% year-on-year (YoY), faster than rival Zomato , which grew at 16% during the April-June seems to be targeting different kinds of customers through initiatives like DeskEats and 99 store in light of increasing competition in the food delivery industry, as well as slowing demand.
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti Raises USD 230k from Wow Momo Founder Sagar Daryani, and other Global Angel Investors
PNN Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 4: Homegrown QSR startup Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti has raised 230k$ in a strategic funding round by Sagar Daryani (Co-founder, Wow! Momo), Abhishek Rungta (Founder & CEO, Indus Net Techonology), Suyash Saraf (Co-founder & CEO, Dot & Key), and other global angel investors. Founded by Deepak Kumar (Age: 26 Years), the brand is on a mission to transform India's iconic street snacks into a modern, hygienic, and scalable QSR experience - all while preserving the authentic taste that defines Indian street food. This young founder is steering toward becoming India's most trusted street food brand. The brand currently operates 18 thriving outlets in Kolkata, has served over 2 lakh happy customers, and maintains a strong 4.6+ rating on Swiggy and Zomato - proving that authenticity and hygiene can go hand in hand. The brand recently launched its own D2C platform, offering fresh Puchkas and Litti-Chokha delivered in under 30 minutes. This fresh capital will help Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti scale 19 more outlets in Kolkata, strengthen it's core team, and build robust systems to power its next big leap - 100 outlets across 6 metro cities within the next 2 years. "Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti is giving India's desi street food a bold upgrade - authentic, hygienic, and built to scale" said Sagar Daryani, co-founder & CEO of Wow! Momo and has invested into this venture in his personal capacity. India's online food services industry is projected to double to $8 Bn, yet organized QSR chains still account for less than half of the country's total eating-out spend. Meanwhile, local street food remains a USD 20 Bn+ unorganized opportunity. Riding this wave, Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti aims to repeat the Haldiram's success story in the street food space- formalizing India's favourite roadside flavours with the hygiene, consistency, and trust of a modern QSR chain. With a clear vision, strong unit economics, and credible investor backing, Wah! Puchka Wah! Litti is actively engaging with strategic partners and institutional investors for its next growth round - as it rides the wave of India's next big QSR revolution. For Investment & Partnership enquiries: Email: Deepak@ Phone: +91 96311 95152
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Qcomm's dark store pullback; VCs flock to GIFT City
Qcomm's dark store pullback; VCs flock to GIFT City Also in the letter: Quick commerce companies slow dark stores buildout to control cash burn What's happening: Swiggy Instamart opened just 42 new dark stores in the April-June quarter, taking its total network to 1,062. opened just 42 new dark stores in the April-June quarter, taking its total network to 1,062. Zepto has effectively paused expansion after crossing 1,000 stores. has effectively paused expansion after crossing 1,000 stores. Flipkart Minutes is also treading cautiously, adding new locations selectively. Also Read: Yes, but: Real estate: Also Read: Burn problem: Also Read: More VCs now setting up shop in GIFT City Setting up shop: Blume Ventures, 3one4 Capital, Stellaris Venture Partners, A91 Partners, and Z47 have all opened offices in GIFT City. They join private equity players like Kedaara Capital and Multiples. So far, roughly 255 alternative investment funds (AIFs) have registered at the hub. Why it matters: The inside view: Also Read: Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: Listed fintechs cut marketing spends to boost fundamentals Driving the news: Making sense: High cost of operations: Keeping Count Other Top Stories By Our Reporters IT grapples with cost pressures: Big Tech continues to hire in India: Understanding GEO: Global Picks We Are Reading Happy Monday! Amid rising cash burn, quick commerce firms are pausing expansion of their dark store network. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.■ Fintechs slash ad budgets■ IT firms tighten costs■ Big Tech ramps up India hiringIndia's quick commerce players are hitting the brakes on dark store expansion , choosing to rein in cash burn after an aggressive year of growth. Industry executives say companies are now renegotiating leases for these hyperlocal warehouses as they shift focus from land grab to lone outlier is Blinkit. Backed by Zomato-parent Etermal's $2 billion war chest, it is doubling down and aims to nearly double its footprint to 3,000 stores from 1,544 as of June 30. By contrast, Swiggy and Zepto, sitting on $600-700 million each, are tightening the purse strings.A senior industry executive said last year's 'land grab' is over. 'These stores take a few months to mature and break even. For a lot of new stores, there is still time before they mature and the competition is easing off… so a lot of negotiations have started off,' the person in prime city spots remain steep, far higher than the big-box warehouses used by Amazon or cash burn problem looms large. Quick commerce firms have spent heavily to scale, betting on a market BNP Paribas expects to jump from $8.2 billion in 2024-25 to $30 billion by venture capital (VC) firms are increasingly planting their flags in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), betting that the emerging financial hub will make cross-border investing simpler and more tax-efficient. For years, funds routed global investments through offshore centres such as Mauritius. Now, GIFT City offers a homegrown Indian AIFs have faced strict oversight from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), which caps foreign exposure and mandates that investments flow in Indian rupees. Converting to other currencies adds a layer of paperwork and friction. By contrast, GIFT City funds can invest abroad without limits, settle in foreign currencies and claim significant tax shift also reflects a broader trend: Indian founders are heading to San Francisco to tap AI talent and global customers. VC firms are following the money.'We have taken a view that if you are going to compare tax stability, it is definitely no worse than Mauritius. We believe that this is only going to get better and it would be more prudent to set up here than outside (India), though this may take time,' Ashish Fafadia, partner, Blume Ventures, told Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship listed fintechs are tightening their belts. Companies like Paytm and PB Fintech have slashed marketing and promotional spends in recent quarters as they chase profitability and sturdier business run by One 97 Communications, spent under Rs 100 crore on marketing in the June quarter, down 55% from a year earlier. PB Fintech, which has been steadily reporting net profits , has also trimmed its advertising expenses for two straight logic is simple. Publicly traded fintechs are operating in a tougher environment, with investors demanding sustainable earnings over flashy growth. Cutting marketing spend is the fastest way to rein in industry insiders warn that prolonged belt-tightening could slow customer acquisition in a hyper-competitive market. The challenge lies in finding a balance between protecting margins and fuelling payment players like Paytm and Mobikwik, the real cost burden sits elsewhere. Employee salaries and payment processing fees dominate their expense sheets. Automation and AI are helping shrink teams, but processing costs rise with every transaction. Marketing, then, becomes the only flexible lever left. Right now, that is exactly where founders and management teams are pressing information technology services industry is facing heightened cost pressures on account of a fundamental shift in its pricing models, especially triggered by the productivity boost from artificial intelligence (AI), said industry executives and giants under the FAAMNG umbrella – Facebook parent Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google – have grown their India headcount across their own and their affiliate entities by 16% over the past 12 months, data from staffing firm Xpheno users turn to AI chatbots for queries and traditional search engines like Google become increasingly AI-powered, startups such as Asva AI and Siftly are offering generative engine optimisation (GEO) and large language model (LLM) optimisation services to companies.■ Anthropic revokes OpenAI's access to Claude ( Wired ■ Big Tech's AI spend is still a shot in the dark ( FT ■ Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams ( Rest of World
