# Restaurants not accepting orders



## goobered (Feb 2, 2020)

I have been seeing this a lot more than usual in the last few weeks, mainly with UE but also GH once or twice. When I get to the restaurant they say oh our tablet is down so we didn't get the order. Someone forgot to charge the tablet so we are not taking orders. We are out of X so we are not taking pickup orders today. I went to one tonight that had closed early.

If they are not taking orders, why don't they turn off the app?


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## Initial D (Jul 2, 2018)

I've experienced stuff like this before. It's pretty inconvenient and a waste of time & gas. I'm assuming some waiters/waitresses don't inform the back-of-house of the restaurant that there are delivery requests from the computer or tablet on purpose, because they are relying on tips from the customers. The few restaurants I've marked as problematic are sit-down restaurants. If there are incentives for the trip, I would ask them for the status of the order before going and estimate time.


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## goobered (Feb 2, 2020)

It's happening the most at places like Schlotskys or McDs. Occasionally at local sit down places where you pick up from the bar. Either their tablet is up and running, but they say the internet is down, or the tablet is broken or someone forgot to charge the tablet.


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## Initial D (Jul 2, 2018)

I used to do UE trips, but not anymore and I remember the app is incapable of knowing the store's business hours neither if the order was cancelled by the customer. During Mondays and night times its best to search online for the restaurant's business hours first, because delivery apps won't notify drivers and end up wasting gas and miles for the courier.

I know a friend who does food delivery suggested if a driver arrived at a restaurant, but realized that they are closed, or if their "system is down", just contact the customer, tell them to get their refund, and mark as complete on your app to get your pay.


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## goobered (Feb 2, 2020)

I got an order for IHOP the other night and they had already closed up early. While I sat there calling Uber support, an employee showed up, unlocked the door, went inside and came back out a couple of minutes later with food. She left the keys in the door while she took the food to her car (!?)

I told her I was there to pick up an Uber order. She got defensive, said it was her day off and she was just there to lock up and asked the cook to make her some food. I'm thinking that she took the Uber order home with her. 

I said well they need to stop accepting orders if they are closing up. She got really mad and said that the tablet is broken and she doesn't get paid enough to get fussed at in the parking lot on her day off.


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

goobered said:


> She got really mad and said that the tablet is broken and she doesn't get paid enough to get fussed at in the parking lot on her day off.


Did you tell her you make less than her?


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## backstreets-trans (Aug 16, 2015)

goobered said:


> I have been seeing this a lot more than usual in the last few weeks, mainly with UE but also GH once or twice. When I get to the restaurant they say oh our tablet is down so we didn't get the order. Someone forgot to charge the tablet so we are not taking orders. We are out of X so we are not taking pickup orders today. I went to one tonight that had closed early.
> 
> If they are not taking orders, why don't they turn off the app?


I'm surprised any restaurants are still using the app delivery services. They get charged over 30% on the orders so they're probably losing money on each order. The drinks are where all the profit is. If you can't up sell the alcohol then why have a sit down restaurant. Fast food delivered is cold and disgusting. This whole business model is a loser.


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## MiamiUberGuy5 (Feb 20, 2019)

goobered said:


> I got an order for IHOP the other night and they had already closed up early. While I sat there calling Uber support, an employee showed up, unlocked the door, went inside and came back out a couple of minutes later with food. She left the keys in the door while she took the food to her car (!?)
> 
> I told her I was there to pick up an Uber order. She got defensive, said it was her day off and she was just there to lock up and asked the cook to make her some food. I'm thinking that she took the Uber order home with her.
> 
> I said well they need to stop accepting orders if they are closing up. She got really mad and said that the tablet is broken and she doesn't get paid enough to get fussed at in the parking lot on her day off.


IHOP is so unhealthy. You should see the nutritional fact's lol


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## goobered (Feb 2, 2020)

New2This said:


> Did you tell her you make less than her?


Lol. I told her I lose money when I drive to a restaurant for nothing. They really couldn't care less at these places. They have no incentive to care.


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## Initial D (Jul 2, 2018)

goobered said:


> Lol. I told her I lose money when I drive to a restaurant for nothing. They really couldn't care less at these places. They have no incentive to care.


I still experience ending up at a restaurant and the inhospitable workers don't have any respect for my time and effort. They've made me wait, because they are relying on tips to afford scraps, which I've ended up leaving, because they've told me it's going to take a while.

The workers basically don't have enough guts to tell their boss to drop partnerships with delivery apps to ease up the flow at their restaurant, so they passive aggressively take it out on couriers.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

Initial D said:


> The workers basically don't have enough guts to tell their boss to drop partnerships with delivery apps to ease up the flow at their restaurant,


:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

As if their bosses care or could actually do anything about it.

Unless it's a locally owned joint, the bosses that matter sure as hell don't work on the front lines, nor do they often care if deliveries only earn them 5 cents profit instead of 25 cents.

It's more revenue on customers they believe they would have missed without a delivery option and they don't have to deal with the headache of more employees just to offer delivery.


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## Cold Fusion (Aug 28, 2019)

MiamiUberGuy5 said:


> IHOP is so unhealthy. You should see the nutritional fact's lol


Seriously, I was in an IHOP, after reviewing the menu I got up
and walked out. Should change their name to iFAT


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## goobered (Feb 2, 2020)

Initial D said:


> I still experience ending up at a restaurant and the inhospitable workers don't have any respect for my time and effort. They've made me wait, because they are relying on tips to afford scraps, which I've ended up leaving, because they've told me it's going to take a while.
> 
> The workers basically don't have enough guts to tell their boss to drop partnerships with delivery apps to ease up the flow at their restaurant, so they passive aggressively take it out on couriers.


Yep. Some places I go to they do treat drivers with respect (especially if they are mostly takeout anyway or have a designated takeout area) but most don't. They act like you're just interfering with their normal course of business rather than helping to serve their customers.

From what I see though the app orders are not what slow things down though, it's just a problem with the staff. They are slow no matter what and can't handle rushes. If an officious looking manager happens to be there they get on the ball all of a sudden and have the orders ready. Proves they can do it if they want to. Yes they are super passive aggressive but we're not the cause of it.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

goobered said:


> From what I see though the app orders are not what slow things down though, it's just a problem with the staff. They are slow no matter what and can't handle rushes.


From what I've read, it can also be an issue with locations not using the settings on the tablets.

I'm not sure how each gig company tablet works, but the restaurants can change the estimated times for food to be ready. Most probably leave it at a default setting.


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## Woohaa (Jan 15, 2017)

backstreets-trans said:


> I'm surprised any restaurants are still using the app delivery services. They get charged over 30% on the orders so they're probably losing money on each order. The drinks are where all the profit is. If you can't up sell the alcohol then why have a sit down restaurant. Fast food delivered is cold and disgusting. This whole business model is a loser.


Reportedly some restaurant owners are afraid that they'll somehow lose customers if they don't use app delivery while their competitors do.


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

Door dash . call dd and tell them the restaurant cant get your food. DD will pay you half the offer you accepted .
GH going down hill fast . GH will not pay you a penny. UE will pay you half the order .. loser postmates will tell you to screw off .


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## The Jax (Apr 17, 2018)

This happens to me OFTEN with one particular restaurant in my delivery area for UberEats where they say their tablet wasn't on or they leave it on when they are closed. If they are open, I try and be nice and tell them its fine and then ask them to please make the order and I will wait. In most cases, they will tell me no because they still need to see the whole order on their tablet. If they are closed, I wait outside for five minutes. After I was refused the order because they won't make it or I waited the five minutes when they were closed, I just mark it as picked up and go to the customer.

When I get to the customer, I just tell them one of two things. If the restaurant was open and refused to give me the order, I tell them UberEats was having trouble with their tablets THEN tell them I called support (I didn't) and that support told me to complete the delivery with nothing. If it was closed, I tell the customer that the restaurant was closed and that I called support (I didn't) and that they told me to complete the delivery with nothing.

In 100% of the cases, the customer is pissed. In my car I keep a few bags of delicious sweet corn flavored popcorn I get for $1 from my local chips distributor. I really like them so always have them to munch on. I get twenty to thirty bags at a time. So I tell the customer I feel really bad and tell them I know they are hungry and offer them a bag of popcorn. They always take it and in most cases, They still rate me good. In other cases, they don't rate me. I get paid the full delivery without tip (never been tipped in this case). In some cases, UberEats will call me since the customer called them and I just told them what happened (closed or refused). UberEats of course investigates and figures out that is really what happened by contacting the restaurant and I never have seen the order deducted or got any messages about strikes.

This is what I do and it works.


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