When bicycles did come into the picture around the turn of the century, they revolutionized the industry. By that time, Tokyo was sprawling, so there was more ground for demae to cover. “You want the noodles to still be hot when you arrive, so speed is of the essence,” says Kapur. “In a lot of cases, they would be carrying lunch to one entire company, so that’s why they’re carrying maybe 20 or 30 portions together.”

Interesting - it all being one delivery instead of several makes more sense!