Reminder: Grubhub and Seamless Are Shit for Restaurants
We have said this before and will say it again: Pick up the phone next time you decide to place an order for delivery. By contacting a restaurant directly, you can avoid additional shipping fees as well as commissions that the restaurant has to pay to the delivery sites. And now we have a new tip: if you call, don’t use the number listed on sites like Grubhub.
It turns out that Grubhub and its subsidiary Seamless have set up phone numbers for restaurants that use their services, and these numbers are different from the actual local phone numbers of restaurants ; This is so that Grubhub can charge a commission on any order submitted through their website.
A lawsuit was recently filed against a food delivery service after a restaurant owner claimed that multiple calls made through a Grubhub-assigned phone number resulted in the company being pulled back regardless of whether the order was actually placed. According to the copy of the lawsuit, Grubhub receives a commission if a call lasts longer than 45 seconds.
When a diner uses that phone number to place a food order (as opposed to ordering on the online or mobile Grubhub platforms), the call from the diner is redirected to the restaurant itself, and Grubhub does not interact with the diner at all … Moreover, since phone calls are handled by the restaurant. not Grubhub, Grubhub doesn’t know if this call actually resulted in a food order or if it was another type of phone call.
According to Eater , a number of New York restaurants also claim that Grubhub has long been profitable from these calls, resulting in the loss of thousands of dollars each year for just one restaurant.
While Grubhub said in a statement that they are using “statistical models” to determine if calls are legitimate orders and has denied these claims made in legal action, you still don’t need to order these sites.
What can you do to support local restaurants? It’s simple – search the Internet for a restaurant phone number and place an order using that number. If you have questions about an order, want to place an order, or have any other requests, also contact them at this number .
Yes, it does take a little more effort and human interaction than you might wish after work or during a hangover, but the restaurants you love will benefit.