Supporting local using courier services, not much support at all: Owner of Wellington Street Diner

By Mike Vlasveld

Uber and other food delivery courier services are killing the local restaurant industry, according to Wellington Street Diner Owner Jeffrey Frost.

He says 75 per cent of all orders to his restaurant recently have been made using Uber Eats, which is a big problem because the tech giant takes 30 per cent of the profit.

Frost explains, pre-pandemic, having courier services running take-out orders was great because it helped keep his kitchen busy, move product, and generate a bit of extra cash, but when courier orders make up such a large portion of a restaurant's overall sales, it becomes unsustainable.

“The public needs to know that supporting a business in a lockdown, through Uber, is actually hurting the business,” says Frost.

The diner operator says money is already tight after having to pay his kitchen and wait staff more to show up during the pandemic, and he believes problems like this one are putting many restaurants in peril.

“We've got to act like it's 2015. We've got to get up, we've got to go down and pick up our food and put that money back into small businesses, or we're going to lose them,” says Frost.

On the positive side, the entrepreneur adds that people who have been showing up to get their orders in person have been doing so with a smile and leaving generous tips.

OttawaMatters.com has attempted to reach out to Uber Eats regarding how its charges are affecting restuarants, but have not heard back.

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