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Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

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Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#391

Post by malandrew »

mabbo wrote: post #142

It feels as though much of tech has gone from helping people accomplish their goals efficiently to a business model of extracting rents while providing no or little value. In this example, what benefit is GrubHub providing to anyone? The person used Yelp solely to look up the phone number of a restaurant. GrubHub deserves 15% of his order for that? Why, because they made a deal to give X% of it to Yelp, and convinced…

> while providing no or little value.

If there was no or little value, people wouldn't be using Yelp. Clearly there is value being provided, such as discovery, search and reviews. Now the quality of those three is debatable and changes from person to person, but to say they are providing no or little value is disingenuous.

This isn't about Grubhub at all. This is about Yelp. Grubhub is just the vendor to Yelp that is allowing Yelp another way to monetize its service.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#392

Post by dwd »

mabbo wrote: post #142

It feels as though much of tech has gone from helping people accomplish their goals efficiently to a business model of extracting rents while providing no or little value. In this example, what benefit is GrubHub providing to anyone? The person used Yelp solely to look up the phone number of a restaurant. GrubHub deserves 15% of his order for that? Why, because they made a deal to give X% of it to Yelp, and convinced…

I think the bad actor here is as much Yelp as Grubhub in that they are using Grubhub's relationship and ability to charge a restaurant to monetise their own listings.

That's where this is unethical and possibly fraudulent when you look at there action as basically generating fake advertising clicks.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#393

Post by russdill »

akraut wrote: post #268
efa wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably a very dumb question. Why do sites like Yelp/Quora try very hard to force you to use the app instead of the web site? Isn't it easier to make money on ads on the web? In the Yelp app I don't get any ads. I may be more likely to browse longer in the app I guess.

The app can also do things to fine-tune your advertising profile like track your location in the background, etc.

Yup

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#394

Post by sak5sk »

guiltygatorade wrote: post #370
Aeolun wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I do not understand is why nobody copied yelp with an ethical business model yet.

Probably because most users are blissfully ignorant of the less ethical bits of how Yelp conducts its business. As long as there isn't a huge discrepancy between the expectation and the services/goods rendered, most people can't tell the difference over something that is largely subjective anyway.

This and many users are hooked on the social networking effect where other users are liking their reviews. Twitter is much the same - you get a constant stream of endorphins every time you see people liking and retweeting your crap. It's socially toxic but effective.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#395

Post by lancesells »

gjreda wrote: post #356
lancesells wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish there was a GrubHub competitor that charged a monthly fee instead of the model of paying more the more successful you are. Restaurants pay x per month with normal processing fees and that's it.

This was GrubHub's original model. Restaurant's don't want to pay a flat fee when they don't see enough orders they feel is necessary to justify said fee. [1] https://youtu.be/a2oTps7tKS4?t=893

Interesting. I wonder if you could eliminate some of that with a free tier until your first couple orders or something.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#397

Post by c3534l »

asdff wrote: post #220
mabbo wrote: post #142

It feels as though much of tech has gone from helping people accomplish their goals efficiently to a business model of extracting rents while providing no or little value. In this example, what benefit is GrubHub providing to anyone? The person used Yelp solely to look up the phone number of a restaurant. GrubHub deserves 15% of his order for that? Why, because they made a deal to give X% of it to Yelp, and convinced…

To me, this is a sign of grubhub/insert copycat delivery service circling the drain, trying to extract whatever cash they can get before the inevitable. Anecdata, but among my peers people sort by delivery fee or try to game the system for a new user discount. Delivery fees can easily be $7 now which is like buying another entire portion at some restaurants. Personally, I use grubhub a lot--as a menu to look at for w…

Yelp can't grow anymore. Now is when they make money and pay back their investors.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#398

Post by bantunes »

nemothekid wrote: post #353
deogeo wrote: post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lets say the internet isn't around yet, and people still use the yellow pages. One day, they decide to charge a 10% tax on all the revenue of a business, if they want to keep their listing in the yellow pages. Those that don't pay, get delisted. There is a competing service, the blue pages, that charges only a few cents for a listing. But it has far fewer readers, so any business that has only a blue page listing, no…

I don't think your definition of rent-seekers is apt - how is your example any different from what Google has been doing for years? I could pay Bing a fraction of the price, but I still need to pay Google for traffic.

> how is your example any different from what Google has been doing for years?

It's not.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut

#400

Post by robocat »

MaulingMonkey wrote: post #390
robocat wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately if your site is interactive, you still need to know if dealing with touch versus keyboard. For touch, extra spacing is needed around click targets (allow for fat fingers). For some touch data entry, you need to allow for different input methods, because accessing symbols and numbers is different from a real keyboard versus a virtual keyboard. Also a virtual keyboard: covers some of the page, causes scro…

> Unfortunately if your site is interactive, you still need to know if dealing with touch versus keyboard. Detecting a mobile browser vs regular won't handle this well for laptop touchscreen users... especially for anyone using a laptop in a tablet mode. I suspect the larger targets would also help some regular keyboard + mouse users with poor fine motor control.

Similarly, we try to support tablet users (iOS/Android) with external keyboards or mice. I totally agree with your point (I purchased a laptop with a touchscreen for testing).

For tablets we optimise for touch, but I also make sure keyboard and mouse work (e.g. I am extremely careful to support click events, not just touch events). I can do this because we have our own framework (when I developed our product, other frameworks simply did not work well with corner cases). Writing our own framework means I am very familiar with the various quirks and workarounds.

However, browsers force us to make compromises, because we simply can't detect or fix certain problems that affect the UI.

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