Restaurant owners lose money over 'unreasonable requests' via food delivery platforms
PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News
PUBLISHED ONDecember 15, 2021 6:30 AMByChing Shi JieWhile food delivery platforms have given everyone a more convenient option to satisfy their food cravings, several restaurant owners have complained that they are losing money over "unreasonable requests" from online takeaway orders.
The owner of MacKenzie Rex Restaurant along Prinsep Street said that his eatery has been on several food delivery platforms for over two years, according to Shin Min Daily News.
He said that when customers' "unreasonable additional requests" to their orders are not met, they often complain to the food delivery platforms and demand a refund.
The 66-year-old restaurant owner added: "The price of chicken rice on the food delivery platform is $5.90. But some customers indicate on the additional request form that they want [chicken] thigh meat, which is $6.80. There are also those who ordered two packets of food but want six packets of chilli.
"Every month, my restaurant would encounter at least two of such orders, causing me to lose around $100."
In an interview with reporters from the Chinese evening daily, the owner of The Old Straits Cafe at Selegie Arts Centre said that she would try to meet any additional requests that customers have indicated.
But if the eatery is unable to, they will either contact the customer or reject the order.
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For the owner of MacKenzie Rex Restaurant, he pointed out that some food delivery platforms do not have the function to allow him to directly reach out to customers.
To counter such problems, he would leave a handwritten note to explain why he is unable to fulfil their additional requests on their orders.
Describing how it is more convenient if a food delivery platform has the function to contact customers, the restaurant owner said: "There was once a customer who ordered 20 packets of chicken rice and had indicated that he wants chicken breast meat in all of them.
"When we contacted him to explain that we're unable to fulfil this request, he was understanding with it."
Another example of how technology can be misused to cause additional burden to eateries is the use of cashless payment and the QR code payment system.
According to The Straits Times, they found out that fraudulent customers would flash older screenshots of previous transactions to fool hawkers into believing they have received the cashless payment.