 "Legendary Delivery" | |
| Type | Grocer |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1987 (Los Angeles, California) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Products | Deli, frozen foods, general grocery, snacks, liquor |
| Website | pinkdot.com |
Pink Dot is a quick delivery prepared-to-order grocery store based on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. The store has appeared in several movies and television shows, including HBO's Entourage . [1]
Entrepreneur Bill Toro founded the chain in 1987 with the purchase of a single liquor store. His idea to create a delivery-based operation arose from numerous complaints he observed about the traffic in Los Angeles. [2] Pink Dot is a privately owned corporation with Toro retaining 30% control. [2]
In 1996, Pink Dot was referred to as a rapidly expanding grocery delivery company in a Los Angeles Times story that noted the store guaranteed delivery within 45 minutes for a service charge of $9.99. [3] Orders were filled from five warehouses. [3] Company executives at the time predicted home delivery would become a "big part of the changing face of retail."[ citation needed ]
As Pink Dot prepared to expand into Orange County, it phased out its signature polka-dotted, propeller-topped Volkswagen Beetle delivery cars after market tests showed that Orange County residents wanted their purchases delivered in more low-profile vehicles. [4]
Pink Dot partnered with order takers such as the now-defunct Kozmo.com, which went defunct in the bursting of the dot-com bubble, as a way to expand the product line into items such as Compact Discs and pharmaceuticals. [5]
In 2008, Pink Dot announced a partnership with Ford Motor Company and began using the Ford Transit Connect, a delivery system that Pink Dot president Sol Yamini described as "room service for your home." [1] Later[ when? ], Pink Dot partnered with Postmates to extend its offerings to app users.[ citation needed ]
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