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Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

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Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#51

Post by pydry »

colpabar wrote: post #24
tyingq wrote: post #3

"The question is, is there a path to independence?” Stoppelman said. “Distribution is always the centerpiece. If you create a great product or service, how do you get it in the hands of the people? The problem with Big Tech is they control the distribution channels. Distribution is the key. If [company x] is the starting place for all of the people...to the extent they get in front of consumers and block them from fi…

I have personally never seen much value in Yelp. Most people use Google as a starting point when searching anything, and the Yelp page that is returned is not very helpful to me. At best, it contains menus, pictures, hours, phone number, and reviews. At worst, it has none of those and is effectively an ad for the Yelp app. Either way, Google shows me all of that before I click anything else. Google absolutely tries t…

>Either way, Google shows me all of that before I click anything else.

All seeded from Yelp. When Yelp complained google shrugged their shoulders and said they could remove them from their search index entirely if they liked. Being the world's no. 1 search destination gave them carte blanche to rip off IP all over.

Google was a parasite on Yelp. It's not really surprising that Yelp is now like "fuck it, parasitic business models are the future" and leant in. I'd have done the same.

Where parasitic business models thrive the economy itself will suffer. This is a problem that only gets solved by bringing the regulatory hammer down on big tech.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#52

Post by bigbubba »

fairity wrote: post #30
bigbubba wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is yelp has more money for lawyers than a low-margin local restaurant. That's why this should be treated as a criminal matter, with state prosecutors taking down Yelp.

> The problem is yelp has more money for lawyers than a low-margin local restaurant. Class-action lawsuits were created to solve this exact problem?

What if they fail? Would yelp retaliate against businesses that participated in the class action lawsuit? This possibility, even if unlikely, may dissuade many from even trying.

'If you come at the king, you best not miss.' - Omar

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#53

Post by chc »

xapata wrote: post #41
reaperducer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably not. That’s what makes it a bet. But if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, it certainly seems logical.

"How late are you open tonight? Ok, thanks."

It seems unlikely that there is a large contingent of people who Google a restaurant (which they must be doing in order to get Yelp's number), ignore the listing of hours right next to the number and call the restaurant to get the hours. I believe it happens, but I have a hard time believing that particular sequence of events accounts for even one call in 50.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#54

Post by proverbialbunny »

gkoberger wrote: post #46
proverbialbunny wrote: post #45

Does anyone have an alternative to Yelp. What I care about: - Open Now (Optional) - Sort by Rating - Search by food category, not name of restaurant. Part of the problem is I have a food allergy. I'm highly allergic to soy, so I can't eat all dishes at most restaurants except their drinks. The few I can eat at tend to be very high end or very highly rated, because the alternative to ingredients that use soy is almost…

Foursquare! I prefer it to Yelp, and the people running it care about making a good, non-scammy product. EDIT: It's mostly a mobile app, and their web version is here: https://foursquare.com/city-guide

Thanks, but is it https://foursquare.com/ ? I don't see a search bar.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#55

Post by elefanten »

Yelp is one those companies. I use the product regularly, but I hate doing so -- the experience is awful and the core information is rarely particularly helpful. But they still get me to come in because they have the most information about some places.

What really sets me off is how much "moral" crusading they do (eg- vs. Google) compared to how much shady stuff they do. This is just latest in a long line of crummy behavior that keeps coming up over and over again.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#56

Post by 6gvONxR4sf7o »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #35
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yelp, to restaurants: we get a commission on Grubhub orders. Restaurants, begrudgingly: fine ——— Yelp, to users: click here to order through Grubhub Yelp, to customers: or just use the restaurant’s phone number to order yourself. [shows you a number that isn’t the restaurant’s] —— Yelp is effectively telling users that a number belongs to the restaurant when it doesn’t. I’m sure yelp’s lawyers would say they aren’t a…

> Yelp, to restaurants: we get a commission on Grubhub orders. Restaurants, begrudgingly: fine Is this true? Or is the agreement to pay commission or a fee for any calls coming from Yelp’s website or app? I’m just saying people are throwing out terms like prison and fraud, and in the legal world, those words have specifics meanings.

As I understand it, yes it’s true.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#57

Post by machtesh »

proverbialbunny wrote: post #45

Does anyone have an alternative to Yelp. What I care about: - Open Now (Optional) - Sort by Rating - Search by food category, not name of restaurant. Part of the problem is I have a food allergy. I'm highly allergic to soy, so I can't eat all dishes at most restaurants except their drinks. The few I can eat at tend to be very high end or very highly rated, because the alternative to ingredients that use soy is almost…

I built an alternative to Yelp called TasteJury.

It doesn't give you an answer to your food allergy, but it is more about the food and rating/ranking than Yelp.

It's also sorted by dishes/food category. It aims to answer: "Where is the best place to get X dish in Y city?". Service, ambience, etc don't matter. It's only about where to get the best food.

https://tastejury.com

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#58

Post by bigbubba »

abcanthur wrote: post #38
bigbubba wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is yelp has more money for lawyers than a low-margin local restaurant. That's why this should be treated as a criminal matter, with state prosecutors taking down Yelp.

Could a well-funded Yelp competitor with an orthogonal approach, at least in this portion of the business model, kickstart the lawsuit?

Maybe, but the yelp competitors seem dirty too. There's a pizza shop down the street from me that seems to have three or four websites masquerading as them, each with different phone numbers.

Yelp executives being sent to prison would, I hope, sent a strong message to the others.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#59

Post by fairity »

bigbubba wrote: post #52
fairity wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The problem is yelp has more money for lawyers than a low-margin local restaurant. Class-action lawsuits were created to solve this exact problem?

What if they fail? Would yelp retaliate against businesses that participated in the class action lawsuit? This possibility, even if unlikely, may dissuade many from even trying. 'If you come at the king, you best not miss.' - Omar

> Would yelp retaliate against businesses that participated in the class action lawsuit?

Plaintiffs can remain anonymous in class-actions for this reason.

Re: Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (2019)

#60

Post by gkoberger »

proverbialbunny wrote: post #54
gkoberger wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Foursquare! I prefer it to Yelp, and the people running it care about making a good, non-scammy product. EDIT: It's mostly a mobile app, and their web version is here: https://foursquare.com/city-guide

Thanks, but is it https://foursquare.com/ ? I don't see a search bar.

Here you go! https://foursquare.com/city-guide

(I mostly use the app. It also keeps track of everywhere I've been, and I can see my history over the past decade.)

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