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Coronavirus has forced many restaurants to move to off-premise. States are changing regulations for restaurants, making them close dine-in operations and pivot to delivery, takeout or drive-thru. This has prompted third-party delivery companies like GrubHub, Postmates, Seamless, DoorDash and UberEats to taking remove delivery fees for consumers, but what does it all mean for restaurants?
Nation’s Restaurant News senior editor Gloria Dawson wrote a comprehensive overview of the third-party delivery marketplaces in the midst of the coronavirus. Which fees are they waiving? Which are they still imposing? What new players have entered the game? We could only cover so much in this week’s podcast, so be sure to read her entire roundup here.
There has long been a debate between third-party delivery services and restaurants over fees, some of which can reach 30%, and earlier in the week, the National Restaurant Association mentioned third-party delivery service fees in its proposed legislation to the White House.
A bright spot was Tock, owned by Nick Kokonas, a co-founder of award-winning Alinea Chicago. Within six days of client Canalis’ request, Tock transformed from a reservation platform to a delivery service, helping fine-dining restaurants that never offered delivery before reach customers on lockdown.
So, what’s really going on with these services in the time of coronavirus? Gloria and I attempt to peel back all the layers and give a clear picture of how it all stands right now.
Contact Holly at [email protected]
Contact Gloria at [email protected]
Find her on Twitter: @GloriaDawson
For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.