They're applying for YC though, so they're validating an idea. Gotta appreciate that they're learning what it means to deliver bread on demand. If I lived in SF, I'd have them bring me a loaf of bread today.
Well, that's the problem I think the parent was getting at, but they did not quite get there. A barbershop or a bakery itself, in one city, isn't a startup. So even if they have success here, they've only validated that they are a business, not "in startup territory" (http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html) In other words, it validates an idea, but it validates the wrong idea.
For what it is worth, though, they do mention that their actual application idea will be different. So maybe they have a way to scale or do something with bread delivery that isn't already covered by the existing businesses.
"They're applying for YC though, so they're validating an idea."
I suspect it's more than that (and I say that positively). A slow news day. They stand a good chance of getting attention which is of benefit in terms of YC most likely. So at the very least anyone investing knows they have a clue about how to play the game.
To take this one step further they might want to try matzoh on Passover which is coming up shortly. NYC would be a good city to test if the delivery scaled.
