Snack bars say: order directly from us, not through Thuisbezorgd
Restaurant owners pay through the nose to Thuisbezorgd when you order from the restaurant through that platform. And that commission has just gone up again. Snack bars have had enough; they’re calling on every chip lover not to order through Thuisbezorgd.
It’s no secret that Thuisbezorgd charges money for the service it provides to hospitality businesses: they make sure you receive orders online, and you pay Thuisbezorgd a small amount. At first, that was €0.80 per order, but a few years ago it changed to a percentage of the order value plus a fixed administration fee. And as of 24 July, the percentage will go up again. Enough is enough, says the association of professional fried-food businesses, ProFri.
Too much power
‘Large ordering platforms are getting too much power,’ ProFri writes in a press release. ‘And consumers are the only ones who can change that.’ By ordering directly, the snack bar gets to keep more of your order’s value – even if they deliver your chips. And if you want to look beyond snack bars: this naturally applies to other restaurants where you order food, too. Check whether you can order directly from them, and let Thuisbezorgd sort it out.
Inflation and all that
Why have those ordering costs at Thuisbezorgd risen so much, anyway? According to Just Eat Takeaway, the company it belongs to, it has to do with rising costs, including inflation and transport costs. Yeah, right, says ProFri. ‘Everything has indeed become more expensive, but the average spend per delivery order has also increased.
Moreover, the number of orders and the number of providers on the platform have risen enormously since the coronavirus pandemic. Thuisbezorgd has benefited greatly from that. I strongly suspect that this latest commission increase is being introduced to fund Just Eat Takeaway’s international expansion drive and acquisitions. It’s happening at the expense of entrepreneurs. I can’t explain it any other way.’
Through the roof
Moreover, snack bars haven’t had it easy either lately. Frying oil is becoming increasingly expensive – sunflowers, Ukraine – and energy prices are skyrocketing. Add to that the drama known as staffing and inflation when it comes to the purchase prices of snacks, and you know that things are tight in the snack-bar industry right now.
Order directly
ProFri’s appeal: order directly from your favourite snack bar. They often have an app or an ordering module on their website, easy enough. And you can usually call them, too. Or walk there and wait ten minutes – that’s how we used to do it, too, says Grandma.
