Restaurant vendors are now selling to the public. Here's why it might hurt them instead of help.
LOS ANGELES - Two weeks ago, a delivery driver in a white sprinter van arrived at my house with two cardboard boxes packed with ice. Inside was an oceanic treasure trove: 10 pounds of Scottish salmon, a five-pound filet of yellowtail from Japan, a two-pound chunk of ruby-red Bigeye tuna from Hawaii, frozen jumbo shrimp and a jar of pearlescent orange trout roe.
The previous day I'd placed an email order with Luxe Seafood, a high-end seafood distributor that sells to some of the city's most respected sushi bars and restaurants including Sushi Gen, Mori Sushi, Hayato, Providence, Spago and 71Above.
Like most restaurant suppliers, Luxe Seafood saw its business fall off
