Meet the Pilot Who Doubles As Block Island's Chinese Food Delivery Guy
Bill Bendokas is the founder of a small airline called the New England Airline. It has 7 planes, and flies passengers and their cargo to a little pear-shaped island called Block Island.
On the island, there are no Asian restaurants. However, as eating Americanized Asian food has become a tradition for typical American food, there is a high demand for Asian food. People who have tried to start Chinese restaurants on the islands have all failed because the demand needs to be steady. However, business on the island is anything but steady. During the winter, many of the island's 20,000 people leave, and the people count drops to 1,000. This is because the island is a popular tourist destination, and people leave when it's winter. In the winter, restaurants close and people just eat from the grocery stores, as restaurants don't earn money.
So, this pilot came up with a solution to the problem. He brings food from the mainland - sushi, noodles - you name it - in his plane. The delivery fee is only $8, and he brings whole shipments of food from the mainland for the island. The citizens of the 10 square mile island could technically go on the ferry to get their food, but that takes a lot longer, costs more, and most ferry captains don't take food along with them across the water. He started the service in 1970. I think it is a great idea - helping the people and also earning money for yourself!
I think the guy who runs this service is very generous, using his fleet of planes to ship food at a cheap cost when citizens of his island want it.
On the island, there are no Asian restaurants. However, as eating Americanized Asian food has become a tradition for typical American food, there is a high demand for Asian food. People who have tried to start Chinese restaurants on the islands have all failed because the demand needs to be steady. However, business on the island is anything but steady. During the winter, many of the island's 20,000 people leave, and the people count drops to 1,000. This is because the island is a popular tourist destination, and people leave when it's winter. In the winter, restaurants close and people just eat from the grocery stores, as restaurants don't earn money.
So, this pilot came up with a solution to the problem. He brings food from the mainland - sushi, noodles - you name it - in his plane. The delivery fee is only $8, and he brings whole shipments of food from the mainland for the island. The citizens of the 10 square mile island could technically go on the ferry to get their food, but that takes a lot longer, costs more, and most ferry captains don't take food along with them across the water. He started the service in 1970. I think it is a great idea - helping the people and also earning money for yourself!
I think the guy who runs this service is very generous, using his fleet of planes to ship food at a cheap cost when citizens of his island want it.
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