service turn-offs

Culture, Media, General
1

I thought I would support local, and order a salad and a pizza from a spot in my neigbourhood tonight. Temp is a little below freezing.

I visit the website and it says, call this number to place a take-out order. I don’t want to wait for them to bake a pizza after I walk in and place the order tonight.

This is a place where I have been a walk -in, take
-out customer.

I call.

The person who answers tells me he cannot take orders over the phone.

He tells me to use UberEats to order.

I mention I want to pick it up myself.

He tells me I should still place the order through UberEats.

I mention their site says to call their number, but okay, I guess I will place the order through UberEats

(At which point, he could have said, let me take that order, but he didn’t )

…
I don’t want to use UberEats, so he lost a sale and I’m still hungry.

LOL

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2

I would follow up with them and let them know you chose not to order from them. It would be helpful for them to know that directing regular customers to another ordering platform is costing them business.

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3

I will let someone know when I pick up the 4 panettones I ordered from them. I guess I’ll make a note that it was today that it happened.

there is a silver lining to this story…
I tried another local pizzeria tonight and it was awesome

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4

I am kinda surprised at this, honestly. While I certainly expect this from a chain of any size where there are corporate efficiencies to be had, virtually every local place on our take-out list has, when asked, explicitly said they absolutely prefer phoned in pickup orders. They don’t have to pay the awful commissions the delivery apps take, and they have fewer order issues and complaints of cold food.

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5

agree

a lot of indie restos have asked me to order direct.

And at least 3 I can think of charge less to those who don’t use UberEats or DoorDash

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6

Maybe it was a new member of staff who doesn’t know the ropes?

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7

Some of those delivery apps take a 40% cut. That’s obscene imo. There’s good and legit reasons to use a delivery app but besides illness, immobility or being stuck, I see no good reason to use them.

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8

And they pay their delivery drivers absolute garbage.

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9

I don’t think so, but who knows?

Sounded like a 40something man who has been in the service industry for a while.

I will walk in some time and see if I recognize the voice. :rofl:

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10

I don’t do delivery apps. Those delivery guys on bikes in Toronto drive the wrong way down bike lanes, and knock down seniors on sidewalks.

Our ER wait times are already bad enough and I’m not going to do anything that adds to the number of accidents in Toronto.

Plus, why give a cut to a middle man if it’s unnecessary.

Also, I need my steps.

I made a deal with myself when I was 24 and living in NYC, if I wanted take-out, I had to go get it.

Obviously, a different situation for people who cannot leave their home or have mobility issues .

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11

I was once on a one-way street and got into the passing lane as it was empty, thinking I would get ahead. I soon found out why it was free; some knucklehead on a bike was in the lane in the wrong direction, coming towards me.

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12

Not very good business to tell you that,I would’ve done the same,just hung up.

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13

Son said a Chili’s he visited a few days ago stopped with the plates near the end of the table and instructed customers to “pass them down”.

The Marriot he stayed at told him if he wanted towels to come and get them.

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14

that isn’t the Marriott of yore :rofl:

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15

To be fair, I think a Marriott spin off; maybe Courtyard.

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16

still!
I expect more from Residence Inn, Spring Hill Suites, or Courtyard !

I was a very loyal Marriott member up until 2020.

Since then, I’ve only stayed at an Omni, a Westin, 2 Quality Inns, and a few indie hotels. Haven’t started building up my loyalty with Marriott again

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17

Hotels are getting weird…like required upfront payment at some IHG hotels like Crowne Plaza when you make a res. If you check in without an res, the rates go way up. Also no house cleaning for short stays. I’m okay with that, but it’s pointing to bigger issue like the top squeezing the bottom line and the whole ‘remigration’ stuff.

My service gripe is QR code menus. But I think they’re in decline because people dislike them.

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18

I recently stayed at a hotel where the gift shop had no cash, which I wanted to tip house keeping, and one where you tipped housekeeping via QR code.

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19

How would you know if the cleaning staff get the full tip, if you tip through QR code? I guess I don’t trust Management. lol

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20

QR code tip? That’s wrong. I bet they’re skimming.

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