# Busy restaurants that never have your order ready on-time when you arrive.



## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

I'm running into a number of high traffic restraurants that are never ready when I get there for pick up. Most of these places are getting slammed at night and they are really very organized. Today I had to wait 15 minutes for my order, causing me to be late for my delivery. Luckily most customers are understanding but I'm losing a few trips each night causing me to lose money. Not sure if anyone can help. I just wanted to *****.


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

REX HAVOC said:


> I'm running into a number of high traffic restraurants that are never ready when I get there for pick up. Most of these places are getting slammed at night and they are really very organized. Today I had to wait 15 minutes for my order, causing me to be late for my delivery. Luckily most customers are understanding but I'm losing a few trips each night causing me to lose money. Not sure if anyone can help. I just wanted to @@@@@.


You need to proceed with the caution of busy times for these restaurants. Usually delivery orders get placed on the back burner during peak hours. I avoid restaurants when they get busy like that. We all will eventually learn to turn down offers from pickups during peak hours, simply because they will tie us up.


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## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

Blacklist them.


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## Madisoy (Jun 17, 2020)

u shood Tok it up.
calm u crazys
https://www.tiktok.com/foryou?lang=zh_Hant


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## DriverMark (Jan 22, 2018)

Fool me once......

Some places just have bad nights. I won't go back that night. There is a Chipolte here that is notorious for running behind. If it's not ready, lots of folks standing around waiting, cancel. Blacklisted for the night.

One Popeye's here if drive thru is stacked.... cancel. Most times I won't even except the order for there, so better be some money to make me attempt it.

Thankfully almost all the places here after a couple weeks of COVID, they got their act together. Generally pretty smooth minus a couple places.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

MontcoUberDriver said:


> Blacklist them.


WHY? They are doing the best they can under the circumstances, and the OP even says so.


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## uberboy1212 (Jan 10, 2017)

I wouldn’t blacklist them as long as they are trying. I would just cancel the order if it seemed like another long wait. I’ve blacklisted 2 places because they never have orders ready and they act like they dont give a sht. If I saw any effort from them I would give them another chance but it’s auto decline every time now.


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## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> WHY? They are doing the best they can under the circumstances, and the OP even says so.


Time is money. Deal with restaurants that have their shit together.


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## Uberdriver2710 (Jul 15, 2015)

The worst is when the food is not ready, and the restrooms are closed.


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## Trek Shuffler (Feb 13, 2019)

I usually put them in a timeout for a few weeks. 

They can sit in the corner and think about what they did and how they can improve.


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## Uberdriver2710 (Jul 15, 2015)

Trek Shuffler said:


> I usually put them in a timeout for a few weeks.
> 
> They can sit in the corner and think about what they did and how they can improve.


Most places never change. So, don't give out too many chances.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

BigJohn said:


> WHY? They are doing the best they can under the circumstances, and the OP even says so.


It's not personal. It's business. I'm not going to settle for $8/hour just because they're doing the best they can. I'm going to pick up at the restaurants that allow me to get in and get out efficiently so that I can maximize my earnings.



Trek Shuffler said:


> I usually put them in a timeout for a few weeks.


I don't put anybody on timeout for isolated incidents. They have to show a pattern of not being able to handle delivery orders efficiently before I will blacklist them. If a restaurant is usually pretty good about getting me in and out and they are just having a rough night, then I am only hurting myself by blacklisting them for a few weeks. At most, I might blacklist them for the rest of the night. If it is a restaurant that I have a good relationship with, I might even accept a couple pings (with the knowledge that I probably don't have to go to the restaurant right away) just to help them out. Restaurants and delivery drivers don't necessarily have all the same goals, but we have enough overlapping goals that we are not enemies.



DriverMark said:


> Thankfully almost all the places here after a couple weeks of COVID, they got their act together. Generally pretty smooth minus a couple places.


COVID caused me to wipe the slate clean and completely rewrite my blacklist from scratch. There are several restaurants that I had blacklisted due to parking issues and lack of priority for delivery orders that I now pick up from almost every day. On the other hand, there are also several restaurants (mostly fast food places that are now drive-through only) that I used to pick up at all the time that I won't touch now, even with a nice bonus on the delivery offer.


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## DriverMark (Jan 22, 2018)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> COVID caused me to wipe the slate clean and completely rewrite my blacklist from scratch. There are several restaurants that I had blacklisted due to parking issues and lack of priority for delivery orders that I now pick up from almost every day. On the other hand, there are also several restaurants (mostly fast food places that are now drive-through only) that I used to pick up at all the time that I won't touch now, even with a nice bonus on the delivery offer.


Very true.

Chili's here had one night where people (drivers!) were literally waiting for OVER AN HOUR! Looking in their window they had TABLES stacked with food, bagged, ready to go. Nope. Total cluster. But, they got their crap together and usually smooth sailing now.

BWW, same thing. At first they were a total cluster. They got organized. Put up "Stall Numbers", and you text when you arrive. They have been very quick.

Popeye's .... um..... nope. They still don't even have their lobby open to walk in if the drive thru is stacked. Nope, not risking sitting in drive thru for 20+ minutes.



BigJohn said:


> WHY? They are doing the best they can under the circumstances, and the OP even says so.


And I am doing my best to maximize the money I make per hour. It's business and my min goal is +$20 per hour. It only takes 1 restaurant to totally hose you over on your earnings for the evening.


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## ColonyMark (Sep 26, 2019)

Buffalo Wild Wings, PF Chang’s and Cheesecake Factory always seem to have long wait times. I won’t accept orders from then at peak times


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

ColonyMark said:


> Buffalo Wild Wings, PF Chang's and Cheesecake Factory always seem to have long wait times. I won't accept orders from then at peak times


I never have a problem at the 2 BWW I pick up at. As soon as I get the order, I call them to let them know I have the order and will be there in about x amount of minutes and they have it ready promptly. What has happened is they have had too many times when they received and order and no one ever showed up to pick it up, so now they wait until the driver is there to start the order, or if they know the driver and he calls ahead.


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## GIGorJOB (Feb 29, 2020)

I will be happy if they have the order even if I have to wait, think it was an anomaly but went back to back offers that didn't have the order in the system at all recently and at different restaurants. At closing times nonetheless so you know they hated me and didn't want to bother.


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## uberboy1212 (Jan 10, 2017)

Taco Bell never has the order ready. I’m sitting in my car waiting as I type this right now. I rarely accept TB orders but this one is $15 tip so I couldn’t resist. It’s crazy that a place like Taco Bell (fast food?) always takes so long


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## KenLV (Jun 23, 2017)

REX HAVOC said:


> I'm running into a number of high traffic restraurants that are never ready when I get there for pick up. Most of these places are getting slammed at night and they are really very organized. Today I had to wait 15 minutes for my order, causing me to be late for my delivery. Luckily most customers are understanding but I'm losing a few trips each night causing me to lose money. Not sure if anyone can help. I just wanted to @@@@@.


TBF, if I were running a restaurant, I'd prioritize the orders I make money on - take out, dine in, my own delivery.

DD/GH/UE/etc... orders do not fall into that category.


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## Trek Shuffler (Feb 13, 2019)

KenLV said:


> TBF, if I were running a restaurant, I'd prioritize the orders I make money on - take out, dine in, my own delivery.
> 
> DD/GH/UE/etc... orders do not fall into that category.


Then your restaurant would be on my blacklist. Oh wait am I still allowed to say _black_list?

So basically you want very little to do with 3rd party delivery and I want very little to do with your crummy restaurant unless there is a high premium placed on the order. That is the whole point of remembering which places make drivers wait.




uberboy1212 said:


> Taco Bell never has the order ready. I'm sitting in my car waiting as I type this right now. I rarely accept TB orders but this one is $15 tip so I couldn't resist. It's crazy that a place like Taco Bell (fast food?) always takes so long


And TB spends all kinds of advertising dollars bragging about how "they" deliver. You would think that they would prioritize it somewhat.


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## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

Trek Shuffler said:


> And TB spends all kinds of advertising dollars bragging about how "they" deliver.


TB might care but the incompetent buttheads that work there don't.


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