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Travis Kalanick’s food startup says it’s the victim of “suspected arson”

Surveillance footage shows an intruder just before two fires started at CloudKitchen properties this week

Travis Kalanick and surveillance footage from one of the suspected arson attacks (Getty, Twitter/CloudKitchens)
Travis Kalanick and surveillance footage from one of the suspected arson attacks (Getty, Twitter/CloudKitchens)

A facility owned by Travis Kalanick’s startup CloudKitchen caught on fire twice this week. The company said the police are now investigating at least one fire as arson.

CloudKitchen took to Twitter for the first time on Wednesday to share details about the incidents, which took place on early Monday morning and Tuesday evening.

On Monday morning, a “suspected arsonist” entered the facility and disconnected surveillance cameras. A fire started about 10 minutes later and was quickly put out by the San Francisco Fire Department.

The company also posted surveillance video and stills that show a man in a purple mask and hoodie entering the facility and disconnecting cameras.

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There are fewer details about the second fire on Tuesday, but the company said there was “very limited damage and nobody was hurt.” Only an interior wall was damaged between both fires.

CloudKitchens is owned by City Storage Systems, a Los Angeles-based startup that Kalanick took control of in 2018 with a $150 million investment.

CloudKitchens is aimed at delivery-only food businesses and offers shared kitchens. The company pitches the shared kitchen as a way to save money on a physical storefront by only doing delivery.

The company has generally flown under the radar. It rents or owns properties in L.A., San Francisco, and San Jose, but rarely shares information about its operations. [Bloomberg] – Dennis Lynch