People think they're calling restaurants directly but Grubhub is getting a fee

Post by throwaway_pdp09 » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 7:55 AM UTC

MattGaiser wrote: post #19

MaintenanceMode wrote: post #4

It's disheartening that there's so much due diligence required just to conduct the most basic transactions right now. I have a narrow list of vetted restaurants, where I understand the costs and to the business, the delivery model, the safety (food handling and Covid precautions), and I only take out from these particular places. I tried a new place recently, only to find out I had been duped by Grub-hub, even though…

The due diligence is because the restaurants offer a terrible experience. Most still do not have an independent online ordering function. They want me to call. Most still haven't set up meaningful profiles on Yelp and other review sites. So I would need to root around to find contact information. That is in addition to needing to give my credit card over the phone, not knowing how long the order will take, and needin…

Post by barbecue_sauce » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 8:09 AM UTC

Melting_Harps wrote: post #137

noelsusman wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had a pretty great experience calling restaurants to place orders. I talk to a human, tell them my order, they repeat it back to me, and tell me it will be X dollars and ready at Y o'clock. I show up at the specified time and the order is ready to go. A couple times I had to wait 5 minutes because they were inundated and couldn't keep up. No stupid app to download. No account to create. No bullshit fees. No mark…

> No stupid app to download. No account to create. No bullshit fees. No marketing emails. I just tell them what I want and then go get it. It's refreshing. That's how it always was, I really don't get this disconnect between people wanting to always hide behind a keyboard or smart phone when it comes to food. It's always been the most social thing I do in my entire day, as it has been done since for thousands of year…

Post by millstone » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 8:17 AM UTC

cortesoft wrote: post #104

Polylactic_acid wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the issue is restaurants need a 3rd party platform. They aren't in the tech industry and they aren't going to hire a developer to build their own system unless its a global franchise. What we really need is for someone to build an open source / one time cost / subscription platform that gives restaurants the ease of using a premade system without the expense of having a per transaction fee.

What makes Grubhub/doordash/etc so valuable to consumers, though, wouldn't be replicated by a premade system like that, though, no matter how good it was. The killer feature is that it is a single market place. I go on the app, I can search through dozens of local restaurants, all with a consistent interface. I can place an order in a couple of clicks at a brand new restaurant I have never tried, and I dont have to e…

Post by xupybd » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 8:57 AM UTC

heavyset_go wrote: post #131

julianeon wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why this isn't treated like domain name hijacking, though. Suppose you want to go to McDonald's. I buy the McDonald's domain name. I put a credit card form on my site, and I "deliver" McDonald's to you. I charge a $40 surcharge for the privilege. There is no way in hell that McDonald's would have to go begging at realmcdonald's.com because of my shenanigans. They'd have no patience for this bullshi…

> I don't understand why it's wrong when I do it, but it's not a problem GrubHub does. The same reason that you'd be arrested for running an illegal taxi, but when Uber does it, it's fine. And the same reason that you'd be arrested for running an illegal hotel, but when AirBnB does it, it's okay. Uber and AiBnb spend a lot of money lobbying governments at every level, and on marketing to make what they do seem accept…

Post by blntechie » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 9:02 AM UTC

BeetleB wrote: post #138

40four wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree 100% with you. I think the expectations of the parent comment are very misplaced. Restaurant owners are usually not tech people, nor can many of them afford to hire tech people. To expect all restaurants to pay exorbitant amounts of money setup/ maintain online ordering systems is not realistic. Also, I have never had a restaurant ask me for a card over the phone. Order times are a rough guess based on curren…

> To be fair, I have been surprised many times how difficult it can be to find an online menu for places I like in my area. Lots of places might not even have a website, but in these cases, I actually use GrubHub and the like to read the menus only. Don't. Do. This. Grubhub menus are often incomplete (and we all know the prices are wrong). I just checked a nearby restaurant I often frequent and the items I usually bu…