📱 Gottahava mobile order | Morning Newsletter

Happy Friday, Philly. The Philadelphia Flower Show begins tomorrow, and this year, you can expect the weather outside to (mostly) match the cheeriness you’ll find inside.

How often do you order ahead from Wawa, Starbucks, or even Rita’s? Today’s top story explains how the rise of mobile ordering is transforming fast-casual food in the Philly area, from pick-up-only stores to “mobile-thru” lanes.

And Pennsylvania Democrats have little leverage in D.C. — but lots of constituent stories they’re using to push back. Here’s what to know today.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

P.S. Friday means trivia: Our latest news quiz includes questions on Long Bright River, THON dancers, and more.

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If you gottahava Wawa, but wannalimityour in-store time, you might be one of the thousands of customers ordering ahead each day via the Delaware County-based chain’s mobile app.

📱 Around two-thirds of American consumers use mobile apps to order food for takeout or delivery. In the Philadelphia area, that could mean ordering your Rita’s water ice ahead of time or visiting Starbucks’ two local pick-up-only locations.

📱 The benefit is not necessarily time saved, customers say. It’s rewards earned in the companies’ apps, a more streamlined (if less personal) experience, skipping the line, or being able to stay in their cars.

📱 Even for non-chain stores, the practice has become a way to boost business. The owner of Merchantville’s new Hallowed Grounds Coffee Co., which introduced mobile ordering a few months after opening, attributes its popularity to “convenience culture.”

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy has the story on the rise of mobile ordering in the Philly region and beyond.

P.S. You might see fewer people in big-name stores today, thanks to the social media campaign calling for a no-shopping “economic blackout.”

With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, Democrats lack the voting power to block new federal policies. Now, they’re seeking leverage in other ways.

The strategy: In lieu of more impactful means of regaining political ground, and in an attempt to win over public opinion, some are employing a communication-driven strategy by focusing on the human impact of recent cuts to the federal workforce and services.

Case in point: U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan launched “Stories from the Sixth,” a social media series where she shares quotes from constituents affected by the Trump administration’s first month.

And still: Local Democratic voters have voiced a simmering frustration about their elected officials’ inability to stop the GOP steamrolling.

Politics reporter Julia Terruso explains how Pennsylvania Democrats are responding to the moment.

In other political news: Philadelphia lawmakers passed legislation Thursday condemning President Donald Trump for “likening himself to, and acting like, a king.” Two Republican state senators want to create a Pennsylvania body modeled after Elon Musk’s disruptive Department of Government Efficiency. Meanwhile, Musk’s SpaceX antennas were installed at a Federal Aviation Administration building in South Jersey as federal workers were fired there as part of a DOGE restructuring.

Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.

This week, we have an explainer from reporter Michelle Myers on Philadelphia’s version of Ellis Island, the Washington Avenue Immigration Station, through which thousands of people per year entered the United States.

Operating from 1873 to 1915, the station was often newcomers’ second stop upon arriving in Philly — after a quarantine hospital — yet its legacy is less known than that of its New York counterpart. Here’s the full explanation.

Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.

An 87-year-old Bucks County man’s annual event started out with a hand-drawn invite, but then found TikTok virality and fans around the world. What did the gathering come to be called?

A) Watch the Oscars with Oscar

B) Eat, Drink, and Be Perry

C) Ice Sculpting with Ike

D) Doug’s Winter Party

Think you know? Check your answer.

💰 Remembering: This week in Philly history, when a longshoreman found $1 million on a South Philly street.

🦅 Peeping: Which Eagles players readers most (and least) want to return next season.

🥘 Noting: Where to break Ramadan fast around Philadelphia.

🌅 Considering: Lessons from Black history and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

Hint: A city department, and a sitcom

TROPICANA DARKENERS

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Lashanna Lawler, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Franklin Square. Over 18 months, the 7.5-acre park will undergo a $7.8 million overhaul that includes adding new restrooms, a playground, zip lines, and bike lanes.

👐 One last supportive thing: South Jersey elected leaders on Thursday denounced federal agents’ arrest of the Turkish immigrant owners of a popular Haddon Township restaurant. A community-led fundraising effort to support the family has surpassed $250,000.

Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. Enjoy your weekend, OK?

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