GrubHub are offering a service where they go and pick up your food for you from a place that offers takeaway but not home delivery.
That sounds fine, I can't imagine anyone having an objection with that service, even if the restaurant hasn't signed up for it.
The problem is that GrubHub are making people think they're dealing directly with the restaurant, not that GrubHub are picking up food from restaurants that didn't sign up for it.
The problem isn't that GrubHub are sitting in the middle of a transaction between a customer and a restaurant. The problem is that they're (maybe) lying about it.
People did it with TaskRabbit, and one could get more than food done that way.
The resturaunt charges xx.xx
You are paying service yy.yy
For a total of zz.zz
Personally, I won't. Unless I talk with the restuarant, I have no idea about availability, time to prepare, etc...
And frankly, I can get my food. I know what it costs for someone to do that and not be way underpaid, and would rather not see people underpaid.
And let's be honest: they will do everything they can to capture traffic, and will end up handling deals that would have gone to the resturaunt and will then leverage all of that. Hell, I would!
So, no. Not interested. Perfectly happy to support my locals directly.
The difference is setting expectations and how they are managed.
The restaurant is able to set and manage expectations when people deal with them. They are not able to do that with other agents, unless that relationship has been established and mutually agreed to.
If doing that came along with the outside service, such as what one might experience with a general courier or agent, it is not cheap.
And people get what they pay for and associate it with the restuarant, who did not set and manage expectations appropriately.
Total mess.