How to give up on Grubhub and order your takeaway restaurant ethically

Online food delivery services can often provide a valuable service, especially when you plan to order in advance, place a larger order, if you have specific dietary demands, if you are unable to take an order or if you can only pay by card credit. For restaurants, it may also be useful to receive electronic orders rather than taking them over the phone during peak hours. (Disclosure: My parents are owners of a small restaurant business and are listed in Grubhub / Seamless, so I am very familiar with how the relationship works.)

However, a recent report revealed that Grubhub, which owns food distribution services like Seamless, Eat24, MenuPages and AllMenus, is buying domain names to create fake websites that resemble local businesses for the purported purpose of intercepting them. online or telephone orders and invoices. higher commissions at its partner restaurants. Since these dummy sites are often not affiliated with the restaurants themselves, Grubhub can claim that its additional activities earn it and charge it a higher commission (from 3% to 20% and more), as well as to pay more. other service charges such as credit. fees for processing and delivery of cards.

This tactic, although not entirely new, can result in significant revenue reductions for restaurants and other independent contractors, from small business owners to deliverymen. Grubhub says its contract allows them to create these fake Web sites as a marketing service for restaurants, though the result may be detrimental to small businesses that are not qualified to manage their Internet business (or familiar with contractual languages legal).

If this is a problem for you, you may want to avoid using online delivery services when you next order lunch, dinner or groceries. Here are some ways to minimize the effect of these commissions on your local stores and keep them running.

Check local business information

While Google is a good resource for finding local businesses, it is also a user-created service, which means that it is not immune to the provision of non-proprietary information. reliable. If a local business has not claimed its listing online, it may be taken back by an unaffiliated third party who may add inaccurate information.

Fake sites like those created by Grubhub may also provide erroneous information, such as a redirected phone number that does not actually belong to the restaurant but which, when it is used, allows Grubhub to charge increased commission fees.

So, even though it's a good idea to call a company directly to get the total value of your order, make sure you check the contact information before you do it. Do several searches on a company that interests you to check phone numbers and addresses. If you find what appears to be an official professional site, check the links to make sure that it actually belongs to the company. (Grubhub's "microsites", for example, display "Grubhub Holdings Inc." buried at the bottom of the page, with multiple links on the site leading to the company's affiliates.)

Do not forget that Grubhub Inc. has several affiliates, including Seamless, AllMenus, LevelUp, Tapingo, MenuPages and Eat24. These sources are therefore not reliable for cross-checking information. In fact, the same company can display different phone numbers on its Transparent list compared to MenuPages, which adds to the confusion.

To avoid relying on these sources, you can cross-reference information with non-affiliated traditional directories such as the Yellow Pages, the White Pages or the Business Ethics Office. You can search for companies by name or address and specify the city in which you are located.

To cross-reference a business address, you can also use the Google Maps Street View feature to match the address with the storefront. If a street view is available, Google Maps often displays a photo above the search result. You can also click on the yellow person icon in the lower right corner and drag it to the part of the map you want to see. (If the street view is available, the street on the map will turn blue.)

Of course, this might not always work if you are in a small town. In addition, Google's information may be out of date. If these methods are not useful to you, the best and most accurate option is the one that requires the most work: personally visit the companies with whom you want to interact and get information directly to the source.

Order directly

Once you are sure to have accurate business information, you can order directly. This does not always mean that you must place your order by phone or in person.

Businesses that know that many people prefer to carry out online transactions can offer their own applications / order forms online on their websites. In New York, for example, local restaurant chains such as Mighty Quinn's Barbeque and Num Pang Kitchen offer links to their sites or to an application that allows you to place orders without having to resort to third-party delivery services.

Small independent restaurants can still use services such as Grubhub for online ordering. If you need to use a third party service, make sure you are on the correct website (check the site's copyright back below) and order directly from this company's page. This ensures that you minimize the amount of commission that a restaurant must pay.

If you're not sure that these online solutions serve restaurants the best, the best way to find out is simply to ask. Call or visit these companies to find out how you can get the most out of them.

Cash tip

Some restaurants have their own delivery team, but not the other companies. This is why delivery applications often come in to use a third party fleet to facilitate the transportation of your order. This means, however, that these companies can also charge higher commission fees to companies for outsourcing delivery, while taking another reduction in contract delivery, which may include any trick you add through the app.

It is possible that your favorite restaurant does not have its own delivery fleet or deliveries in your area, which requires you to use applications like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats to access their products. If you can not get your order back and you need to use a shipping application, make sure the cash payment is made so that the technician receives the desired tip. Nothing is more direct than giving them the money yourself.

Be patient

Ordering food online is convenient, and following the traditional route can often mean longer wait times and more effort on your part. However, patience and kindness go a long way. The work you do helps strengthen and strengthen communities, and businesses can pass on savings directly to their customers through reduced commission fees.

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