Getting food delivered to your door has become part of daily living. A lot of people that live busy lives depend on snacks, meals and shakes being delivered to their home to help them with their day. Even those that want to treat themselves use food delivery companies instead of heading out to restaurants.
In particular, one of the big players is Uber Eats. They are giants when it comes to food delivery and offer services all of the country. However, they are not subject to good press or comments on social media during the coronavirus. Indeed, their suspension of delivering to Treasure Island in San Francisco has angered many people.
Temporary Caps are the Cause
A lot of people are relying on Uber Eats during this pandemic. Perhaps they are unable to go to the grocery store and are self-isolating. Maybe they want to treat themselves safely after a long working day or want to enjoy a snack while on a bingo site. Either way, Uber Eats are a delivery service that a lot of people need especially during this difficult time.
However, Uber Eats have come under fire for telling the Treasure Island neighborhood in San Francisco that they will not be making deliveries. During the pandemic, anybody in the area will not be able to make orders. The company have stated that this is down to new regulations that have been put in place in the city during COVID-19.
The regulations surround capping delivery commissions. Uber Eats claim that this means they cannot cover operational costs if this is the case. The regulations were put in place to help protect small businesses so that everyone could survive COVID-19. It meant that food delivery companies could only charge restaurants at 15 percent. Uber Eats can sometimes enjoy commission fees of up to 30 percent.
The Public Are Not Happy
People are outraged by this decision from Uber Eats. They believe that they are deserting a community that needs them the most during this time. In particular, this includes low-income and minority households in Treasure Island. When there is no traffic, Treasure Island is only around 10 minutes from downtown.
In addition, it is believed that Uber Eats only game to Treasure Island on April 3 2020. This means the delivery service has only been in place a few weeks before it was taken away from residents in this area. Uber Eats did issue a statement about this move but made sure that they did not look bad. Instead, they called on those that were unhappy with the decision to complain to lawmakers about this change. For a company that is worth billions, this has not gone down well with people in San Francisco or across the country.
Due to the negative publicity, it will be interesting to see if Uber Eats change their stance. This is not their first controversy and they are known for holding strong when it comes to disagreements.
