Door Dash and Uber Eats (and others) lead to "ghost kitchens"

[Reagan1k 3026]

20 minutes ago, Modessit said:

because they are used to the instant gratification of push a button and get what they want

I was traveling with one of my sales guys last year when he opened up his banking app and saw a bunch of charges from a delivery service app on his kid's account.

Over the course of one day while home on break the kid had multiple food / beverage deliveries made to their house.  Small shit - a smoothie, fries and a drink, cookies, etc.

I think it ended up being about $20 worth of food that cost him several times that.  He came unglued.  

I almost had a wreck laughing when I heard him tell the kid that the M-F'ing food genie was dead and she wasn't allowed to eat anything that wasn't already in the house for the rest of the break.

[DallasHorn26 586]

One if my coworkers had food delivered from a place that was literally next door to the office. I walk to said place all the time for lunch.

As far as the kitchens, I remember seeing a similar delivery services a few of my trips to England several years ago before they started popping up here. Some of my coworkers there said most of the food those guys were delivering (mainly on bikes or mopeds) were coming out of warehouse kitchens with no storefront space.

[Modessit 5625]

One if my coworkers had food delivered from a place that was literally next door to the office.

This happens all the time. I can understand when it's a retail place and the worker can't leave, but not for others.

I once picked up McDs and delivered it to the Taco Bell next door.

[wild_turkey 3223]

More businesses need to take a stand when customers lie on reviews or shit on you for things totally out of your control. With my consulting business I had someone leave me a 1 star review saying that I didn't do the job I was paid to do. Had no record of the name and the city where they claimed to live was a place where I don't do business. Left a response on Google saying "I have no record of you ever being a client of mine. No one at this business has any record associated with your name. Why would you leave a review for a business you've never used?".
I'm pretty sure it was a competitor but whatever. It's bullshit that we have to play these kinds of games. 

Just be glad you don’t have a medical practice. People can say whatever whatever they want in online reviews and you can’t respond because of HIPAA. Only recourse is to drown out the bad reviews with good reviews.

[RMac5 1551]

Yeah that whole social media thing can be an ass whippin. We always tried to take the high road and invite them back with some sort of freebie. But then you had to worry about starting a rush on “slams” so they could get a freebie too. 

[GHOSTUSER 361]

On 2/5/2020 at 4:36 PM, heinhorn said:

I know of a company in Houston that is leasing a space in an office building parking garage to open per code, what is a food truck, but is really an 18 wheeler sized kitchen in a trailer that will never move.  They will cook/prepare multiple restaurants/chains food and deliver via ubereats.  You cannot walk up to the counter and order.  Will be interesting to see how it works.  It's good revenue for the building owners.

Can you PM me about this. I would like to know more about this and see if can replicate in another city.

[BurdineBandit 815]

There's a little parking lot that used to house parked food trucks at the corner of 13th and Comal, down the street from where I live. Been there for a few years, but at some point last year the random trucks were no longer just parked, they were functioning and had a fold-out sign in the entrance that just says "Food Pickups -->". No actual walk-up service. There's only 2 trucks there right now, but I thought that was really interesting. You can see the cooks on smoke breaks every once in a while. If I worked there I feel like I'd get restless without human interaction (or you gotta have a really good relationship with the other one employee).

[relapse98 634]

On 1/30/2020 at 4:29 PM, Brisketexan said:

What I got out of this is....those chicken sandwiches look GOOD.

No shit. Those Nashville hot chicken sandwhiches from Main Chick look amazing.
And I think Nashville Hot Chicken is about to jump the shark is already in the air - KFC is now selling it.

[heinhorn 16]

On 2/7/2020 at 9:37 AM, Iconoclast Texan said:

Can you PM me about this. I would like to know more about this and see if can replicate in another city.

I should have say a company doing this in Houston rather than a company in Houston.  Looks like this is a PE backed, fairly large outfit:  https://reeftechnology.com/solutions/kitchens/

Edited February 13, 2020 by heinhorn

[UT_OB1 2227]

On 2/7/2020 at 9:37 AM, Iconoclast Texan said:

Can you PM me about this. I would like to know more about this and see if can replicate in another city.

 

2 minutes ago, heinhorn said:

I should have say a company doing this in Houston rather than a company in Houston.  Looks like this is PE backed fairly large outfit:  https://reeftechnology.com/solutions/kitchens/

 

On 2/7/2020 at 9:37 AM, Iconoclast Texan said:

Can you PM me about this. I would like to know more about this and see if can replicate in another city.

I was looking in to trying to figure out how to get a beer truck going on Galveston.  Pretty sure I could make enough during summer and spring break to sit on my ass the rest of the year.  Guy I called at TABC said he gets call about it all the time and it's not happening.  

[elfenix 34387]

On 2/7/2020 at 1:29 PM, relapse98 said:

No shit. Those Nashville hot chicken sandwhiches from Main Chick look amazing.
And I think Nashville Hot Chicken is about to jump the shark is already in the air - KFC is now selling it.

KFC's been selling it for a few years.  we're well past jumping the shark:  the guy who opened the first hot chicken place in LA was interviewed on NPR back in 2017 as if he'd invented the stuff.

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/07/18/howlin-rays-brings-nashville-chicken-los-angeles/

 

i need to hit up mico's here in houston to see how their's is. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by elfenix

[Js1 85817]

On 2/6/2020 at 12:21 PM, Modessit said:

 

 

 

 

 

I'm always surprised at what people spend just to not have to leave the house or apt. I've delivered one $1 soda from McDs. I got paid $8 to do so. How much did the customer pay for that $1 soda from a restaurant only a mile from their apt? I picked up a pizza from a place and saw that the address was pretty close. I asked the pizza place if it was in their delivery area and they said yes. The pizza was $6. The customer paid $23 to have UberEats deliver it.

 

Plus college-age people are the worst tippers, probably because they are used to the instant gratification of push a button and get what they want. Many have never worked before. Mom and Dad paid for everything. They have no problem paying $30 for $10 worth of Pad Thai but then tip $1.

 

 

I literally don't understand this.  At a minimum, I'll order it and pick it up myself.  I cannot justify spending $5-$15 on delivery. 

[BabaYaga 15399]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:15 PM, wild_turkey said:

Just be glad you don’t have a medical practice. People can say whatever whatever they want in online reviews and you can’t respond because of HIPAA. Only recourse is to drown out the bad reviews with good reviews.

[Lhorn 5026]

I literally don't understand this.  At a minimum, I'll order it and pick it up myself.  I cannot justify spending $5-$15 on delivery. 

I hear ya. No way I’m paying for more than the traditional pizza delivery tip to have food brought to my house. Not to get too far off topic but sounds like this food delivery thing is extremely popular. I’d bet there are more than a small percentage of those users who would categorize themselves as financially struggling. Gotta wonder about folks who choose to spend their money in such a frivolous manner.

[NeverMarryAStripper 22033]

So I guess pretty soon restaurants that you can go to, sit down, and enjoy a real meal are going to go the way of brick and mortar retail stores because of all the lazy fat fucks in this country.  All of us real people that don't find interacting with other real people repulsive will be forced to become fat fuck recluses also.  

[Bateshorn 9964]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:26 AM, BurdineBandit said:

There's a little parking lot that used to house parked food trucks at the corner of 13th and Comal, down the street from where I live. Been there for a few years, but at some point last year the random trucks were no longer just parked, they were functioning and had a fold-out sign in the entrance that just says "Food Pickups -->". No actual walk-up service. There's only 2 trucks there right now, but I thought that was really interesting. You can see the cooks on smoke breaks every once in a while. If I worked there I feel like I'd get restless without human interaction (or you gotta have a really good relationship with the other one employee).

As a former back of the house, if you vibe with the other chef, you can cook for an entire army and it’s magic. If you don’t,  well,  sometimes law enforcement gets involved.  The rush isn’t the problem,  it’s the down time when you have to interact. 

[Gil Bang 26101]

2 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

So I guess pretty soon restaurants that you can go to, sit down, and enjoy a real meal are going to go the way of brick and mortar retail stores because of all the lazy fat fucks in this country.  All of us real people that don't find interacting with other real people repulsive will be forced to become fat fuck recluses also.  

[Deej 77233]

2 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

So I guess pretty soon restaurants that you can go to, sit down, and enjoy a real meal are going to go the way of brick and mortar retail stores because of all the lazy fat fucks in this country.  All of us real people that don't find interacting with other real people repulsive will be forced to become fat fuck recluses also.  

I am perfectly happy being a recluse and am not a fat fuck. People suck.