NYC Will Hold Hearing To Let Restaurants Bitch About Food Delivery Apps

Concerns about delivery-service apps like Seamless, UberEats, DoorDash, and others have reached a critical mass in New York City. Just a few weeks after a Philadelphia restaurant filed a class-action lawsuit against Grubhub, NYC will hold a public hearing that brings together restaurants, customers, and representatives from the delivery services for what is sure to be a real airing of grievances.

Restaurants have complained about fees associated with the services, which many owners consider a necessary evil. Drivers or couriers for some of these services have also sounded the alarm about what they say are low wages and unfair tipping policies. Nation's Restaurant News reports the NYC hearing, dubbed "The Changing Market for Food Delivery," will take place June 27 at 1 p.m. at 250 Broadway.

"Restaurants and eateries are a critical part of our private sector," Reginald Johnson, chief of staff for New York City councilman Mark Gjonaj, chair of the small business committee, told NRN. "We feel it's the committees' responsibility to understand what they're going through."

A Grubhub/Seamless spokesperson will reportedly attend the hearing, which will definitely be a enjoyable and respectful discourse and not just a bunch of restaurants and drivers shouting at a poor delivery-app representative who obviously drew the short straw in a morning meeting.

Johnson told NRN the committee is concerned that restaurants are potentially losing money through the delivery services' hidden fees and high transaction costs. A Grubhub spokesperson responded, saying the app generates billions of dollars in food sales to restaurants and puts tip money in drivers' pockets in a way that positively impacts the local economy.

The hearing is open to the public, so feel free to show up with your own concerns, complaints, and bags of popcorn. Cue Frank Costanza.