It’s Gopuff Versus the Neighbors. Again.
Plus, soft pretzels at the Oscars and Quinta Brunson on SNL.
A promotional image for Gopuff, the delivery company that is having some problems with its neighbors in South Philadelphia (image via GoPuff media relations)
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Gopuff and Their South Philadelphia Neighbors Aren’t Getting Along Very Well
Hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since a couple of Drexel business majors launched an app to deliver drug paraphernalia, condoms and junk food to your doorstep on demand. Since then, Gopuff has expanded rapidly across the country. The company raised well over $1 billion in investments. And, well, Gopuff has also pissed off some neighbors in the process.
First there were the neighbors of a since-closed GoPuff location in Callowhill, who complained about trash, all-night traffic in and out of the building, and the behavior of Gopuff drivers coming to and leaving the facility.
Neighbor complaints about a Gopuff New York City location made it into the New York Post. (Though you kind of have to laugh about the president of the co-op building across from that Gopuff location complaining to the tabloid: “Our tenants can smell pot …” The horror!)
And now, as the Inquirer reports, some of Gopuff’s neighbors in South Philly aren’t very happy with the company’s location at 13th and Washington, where, in 2021, Gopuff took over this building that once housed a Save-a-Lot:
The building that now houses the Gopuff South Philadelphia location (photo via Molly Des Jardin/Flickr)
Gopuff’s South Philadelphia neighbors have issues with traffic, noise disturbances, parking and trash, says the Inquirer.
Per the newspaper:
“‘Gopuff’s high-efficiency model has led them to treat our neighborhood as their playground,’ disregarding ‘safety, sanitation, and quality of life,’ said Suzanne M. Tavani, president of the Passyunk Square Civic Association, who lives three blocks away.”
Gopuff hasn’t commented publicly on the matter. But a company official did speak anonymously with the Inquirer, listing some efforts Gopuff has made to make things better.
Councilperson Mark Squilla is on the case. And you can read the full story here.
Here Comes the Rain. Again.
Wetness abounds. But don’t worry, St. Patrick’s Day revelers: 61 degrees on Friday for your bar crawls.
Have Bruce Springsteen Tickets?
If you have tickets to see Bruce Springsteen at Wells Fargo Center this Thursday, the show is still scheduled to go on as planned. In less than a week, he’s postponed three concerts due to some unspecified illness.
About that Dog-Shooting Philly FBI Agent …
Local Talent
Will Philly export Quinta Brunson make her Saturday Night Live-hosting debut on April 1st or won’t she? A threatened SNL production strike could make things difficult.
By the Numbers
30: Approximate circumference, in inches, of a cookie at Shaq’s forthcoming Philly restaurant.
What Are You Doing This Week?
I vote for the Black Panther screening with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Here are some other ideas.
And from the Crazy-Busy Sports Desk …
The Phillies beat the Pirates Friday by a score of 10-4 behind two homers by first baseman Darick Hall, who’s having a helluva spring, and solo boomers from a cast of thousands: Scott Kingery, Rhys Hoskins, Will Toffey and Jhailyn Ortiz. Brandon Marsh dressed for the game:
hello we're playing a baseball game pic.twitter.com/uso19uhJwb
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 10, 2023
Hope that didn’t scar you. On Saturday, the Phils beat the Yankees, 6-3, despite some shaky pitching; Scott Kingery went 2-for-3 on the day and has been a hot hitter. On Sunday, they lost to the Blue Jays, 8-3.
The Trail Blazers visited the Sixers Friday. Starting five: Embiid, Tucker, Harden, Maxey and Harris. It was their first home game in a while, and the first quarter didn’t go well until De’Anthony Melton heated up. Close of quarter: 37-29 Blazers. In the second, the Sixers got as close as five points but let it stretch out to 18 with three left. Our guys looked disheartened, frankly. Damian Lillard always does that. Make that a 21-point Blazer lead. Halftime! 71-56.
It was more of the same in the third till Maxey followed up a missed shot with a massive jam that cut the lead to 10 and got the home crowd going. Harden hit a three — seven points! But it never got any closer than that through the end of the third: Blazers up, 96-85.
In the fourth, the Sixers inched back into it ever so slowly and even led — by a point — for a hairbreadth. And then, with almost no time left, a miracle occurred!
Joel Embiid and the Sixers STEAL the W late in the 4th quarter vs. the Trail Blazers 😱
39 points
7 rebounds
4 assists13-of-20 FG
13-of-18 FT pic.twitter.com/uHcB0oakjc— Sixers Nation (@SixersNationCP) March 11, 2023
Fabulous, fun, unbelievable game. Go Sixers!
On Sunday, up against the Woeful Wizards (they stood at 31-36 at tip-off), the Sixers started Embiid, Harden, Maxey, Tucker and Harris. They led at the end of the first quarter, 27-19. In the second, the Wizards got as close as three before the universe righted itself. Sort of. Kyle Kuzma hit a big three to close it to three; Embiid answered with a three. At the half: 55-50.
The Sixers stretched their lead back out to two digits with a 10-2 run in the third, then noodled around till the quarter closed with them leading 81-69. Embiid already had 34 points — in 31 minutes. In the fourth, our guys strung together an 18-6 run that made it 98-75 with 7.5 minutes left. Not the most interesting game I’ve ever watched, but good for the blood pressure. Final: 112-93.
The Union played the Chicago Fire Saturday night at Subaru Park, and it was chilly! Master goalie Andre Blake went down with an injury half an hour in, limping off the field while holding a 0-0 tie. Sub keeper Joe Bendik took over in a cards-galore fest that saw five handed out in the first half alone (four against Chicago). The Fire played a man down for most of the second half — but it didn’t seem to matter. And then … finally!
90TH MINUTE STUNNER!! TORRES SENDS IT TO THE BACK OF THE NET FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX!!!#PHIvCHI 1-0 | #DOOP pic.twitter.com/dFi5Ict3BJ
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) March 12, 2023
Ahem. Hold that applause. Six minutes of overage. And then another goal, again by Torres — but Dániel Gazdag was called for offsides, way late. A second red card for Chicago sent Kei Kamara off – it was getting wild in the final minutes. But Bendik and the Union held on for the 1-0 win. Doop!
In college hoops on Friday afternoon, the five-seed Temple Owls got blizzarded by number four Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference tournament, 84-54. Oof. On Saturday, third-seeded Penn had a match against top-seeded Princeton in the semifinal round of the Ivy League tournament and lost, 77-70. It was their ninth straight loss to the Tigers. That means not a single one of the City 6 men’s teams is headed to the NCAA tournament. Sigh. Maddy Siegrist and the rest of the ‘Nova women are on their way, though, with a fourth seed in Greenville 2. They’re not in the same quadrant as Dawn Staley’s South Carolina! They’ll play Cleveland State.
The Flyers also played.
All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.
