"No, actually! We met up here on the station just before the Natha sent everyone down. Tried to recruit him into my intergalactic take-out business."

Which is both true and not true, he definitely made the suggestion but really went anywhere. John just talks a lot and likes to invent ideas to fill space. If you don't have anything to do because you're stuck on a ship and wish you could order take-out, why not theorise about the viability of an intergalactic take-out business?

"Getting transport for it has been kind of a sticking point."

John still hasn't persuaded the Natha to give him back a puddle-jumper. One day, though.