Re:Is the Ride over for Uber?
by jbay808 on Sunday July 03, 2022 @10:05PM
(#31972783)
In the '90s when you wanted to order delivery, you'd open a phone book and pick a restaurant. Some would pay extra for a big, extra-visible listing in that phone book.
Uber, Doordash, etc get away with charging such premiums not because delivery is so costly but because they've made themselves into a new phone book. Hungry customers open the app to look for a restaurant, and the restaurant wants to be listed there.
However that's not really a win for the restaurant. It might not increase their business, just stop them from losing it. If the app didn't exist at all, those customers would find them another, less convenient way. But because the app exists, the customers stopped using those ways.
Re:Is the Ride over for Uber?
by cheriot on Saturday July 09, 2022 @10:15PM
(#32041244)
That's a good point. Once DoorDash hits critical mass, I agree it's as much a shopping app as delivery service. I also think that early in a market they benefit from making delivery possible for restaurants that otherwise wouldn't have it.
Uber, Doordash, etc get away with charging such premiums not because delivery is so costly but because they've made themselves into a new phone book. Hungry customers open the app to look for a restaurant, and the restaurant wants to be listed there.
However that's not really a win for the restaurant. It might not increase their business, just stop them from losing it. If the app didn't exist at all, those customers would find them another, less convenient way. But because the app exists, the customers stopped using those ways.