Melbourne restaurateur pushes for customers to stop using third-party delivery apps
Customers using third-party delivery apps such as Uber and Menulog are being urged to go direct to local Australian businesses instead.
Business owners are pushing for customers to stop using third-party delivery apps such as Uber and Menulog as they offer “no support” for businesses and are “not Australian”.
It comes as popular delivery service provider Deliveroo shocked customers and drivers by suddenly closing its Australian operation this week.
Deliveroo went into voluntary administration, citing poor profitability in a highly competitive market as the reason behind its collapse.
The shock closure left more than 15,000 drivers suddenly without a job.
Despite other deliver service providers like Menulog still operating, Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas told Today on Saturday he planned on ditching using any third-party provider and instead go in house when it comes to delivering food from his many businesses.
Mr Lucas said Deliveroo's closure was a “a line in the sand moment” for his business.
“We’ve never really been satisfied with the level of service that we receive,” Mr Lucas said.
“We’ve always had lots of issues, non-delivery of food, you know, drivers not picking up on time and it was a very problematic service and at the end of the day, certainly wasn’t profitable for us and we always found it very difficult working with these multinational companies.
“They are not Australian. They are not based really here in Australia and we didn’t sense that they had a real brand ownership to be honest.
“So the model was never really working for us.”
Voluntary administrators KordaMentha told Deliveroo riders on Wednesday they no longer had a job.
“The company ceased trading immediately and accordingly, the company will no longer be accepting orders or facilitating deliveries in Australia,” KordaMentha said in document issued to stakeholders.
“The administrators will contact you shortly in relation to the impact of the administration and provide further details regarding how to submit a proof of debt form for amounts owed.”
Another document outlines how riders are considered to be contractors rather than employees, disqualifying them from entitlements and considering them to be “unsecured creditors”.
Mr Lucas said there was never any “real support” for drivers or customers, especially during the numerous lockdowns.
“For us it was a logical decision to just cut all ties with all the delivery apps since really we had so many complaints from all our customers over the last few years,” he said.
“It just really wasn’t worth the heartache.
“They didn’t do us any favours as restaurateurs, they didn’t cut their margins.
“They didn’t give us any real support.
“In fact, to be honest, in some ways I think they really exploited the situation and I was left pretty disillusioned by that whole process where really we were looking for some support during probably one of the most difficult periods in our history and we didn’t get it.
“So I never really left that period thinking to myself that we had true partners there that would support us in good times and in bad.”
Takeaway services across Lucas Melbourne outlets such as Baby Pizza and Hawker Hall will now be done in-house.
Mr Lucas said customers will be able to order online or over the phone, and pick-up directly from the restaurants and said the new system would ensure “a better end-to-end experience for both staff and diners”.
Originally published as Melbourne restaurateur pushes for customers to stop using third-party delivery apps
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