Restaurant Vs Order In - what is your take?

try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 14:50
Last edited 19/01/2018 - 16:04

Read an article in the paper where some Restaurants are unhappy with things like Menulog as they are taking customers out of the restaurant and they need to pay a percentage of the meal to the services. I was wondering what people's views were on this?

As a general rule I'm a "go to the restaurant" person as I think the meal would be better fresh and I like the experience, but with the mark up on things like wine, and the advent of the better restaurants having delivery, I'm beginning rethink this.

What is people's experience of these delivery places, what is the usual delivery fees people have experienced, what places do people recommend for delivery and what just doesn't work, e.g. poached fish(?). What sort of delays have people experienced and what is the likelyhood of the meal being cold, less appettising etc.

Also what would make you go to the restaurant rather than getting the take away. In my case it might be BYO wine, or cheaper onsite, or loyalty discounts, etc.

Poll Options

  • 50
    Prefer to eat at Restaurant
  • 18
    Prefer to order in from Restaurant
Food & Grocery

Comments

  • Archi on 19/01/2018 - 14:55
    +4

    mainly like eating at the restaurant… serving sizes are usually smaller when you take away

    • John Kimble on 19/01/2018 - 14:59
      +4

      Guess it depends on the place, but where my wife used to work, it was exactly the same. Everything was pretty much already portioned, they didn't have one measurement for dine in and one for take away.

      • Baghern on 19/01/2018 - 15:42
        +1

        Is this the case with these new delivery companies, they take a big chunk of the pie i hear

        • John Kimble on 19/01/2018 - 15:45

          I'm only referring to portion size???

        • Baghern on 19/01/2018 - 15:47

          @John Kimble:

          of the profits…

          So smaller portions

          I get delivery at times, and usually feel the portions are way small… especially for the price

        • John Kimble on 19/01/2018 - 15:58

          @Baghern: OIC ha

        • fantombloo on 19/01/2018 - 21:19

          they take a big chunk of the pie i hear

          A reliable friend told me 35% for ubereats. Nonetheless the restaurateurs were ok with it, even considering doing delivery only and closing the dining room.

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:08
      +3

      I wonder if that is a plating presentation thing, I.e. nicely spread our on a plate rather than crammed into a takeaway container.

    • anastasiastarz on 02/02/2018 - 03:43

      Yes with SpudBar.

  • loke on 19/01/2018 - 15:05

    Menulog / Eatnow commission percentage is 14% as stated on their invoices (about 15% or 15.1% last time I used a spreadsheet though) that's a truckload. I do prefer food fresh out the pan / oven.

  • GG57 on 19/01/2018 - 15:10
    +2

    My reading of an article was that some restaurants felt they were losing out if a customer ordered take-away via Menulog (or similar), versus ordering take-away direct from the restaurant, as they were paying commission to Menulog.

    That is a different conversation than eating in versus take-away.

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:18

      It depends on how the "take-away" works. If the restaurant delivers then that is one thing but if they expect you to pick it up then that is another. Also a number of the "better" restaurants don't have an "official" take-away facility, although some people may have been able to work something out.

  • Quantumcat on 19/01/2018 - 15:13
    +1

    I like getting food delivered if it doesn't cost much more, and if you google the restaurant before ordering, it's usually cheaper to ring them directly rather than go through Menulog. E,g, my favourite local Thai place has "free" delivery (10% off for picking up) but has a $5 delivery charge with Menulog.

  • brokenglish on 19/01/2018 - 15:16
    +4

    The percentage they're paying to Menulog is payment for additional sales/marketing through Menulog's channel. There are restaurants that I wouldn't even know if I didn't use Menulog.
    If they don't like it then don't use Menulog…
    If the restaurant wants us to order straight from them (not paying Menulog) then they have to create a platform where customers can order easily. I honestly hate it when I call for takeaway (long wait, sometimes no answer) and the staff doesn't know wtf I am talking about and it's on their menu!
    Simple text and clicks with Menulog (and others) will get me my food! RAWR!
    Though you need to have realistic expectations too, food will get cold/not as nice as having it in the restaurant.

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:25

      The point they are raising is that menulog is taking away people who would normally have gone to their restaurant and if they don't go with menulog then they lose that percentage because people prefer to get delivery than go out. It sounds like some of them are just "holding their own" or are worse off even if they are going with Menulog.

      Bizarely I find it too much hassle to use something like Menulog (too much choice, don't know the places, delivery fees etc) and, generally, just head out to the restaurants I like (my favourite is a BYO and the people there are really customer centric). Just dipping my toe in the water to see other people's opinions thanks for the input.

      • brokenglish on 19/01/2018 - 15:33

        The point they are raising is that menulog is taking away people who would normally have gone to their restaurant

        They are just blaming others for their crap food. If they serve amazing food, people will come back no matter what.
        But I get the point, the emergence of all these delivery platforms (Menulog, EatNow, Deliveroo, UberEats) is simply allowing customers to make informed decisions - go to the ones with good reviews, avoid the bad ones. And it's easy to give a restaurant a bad review!
        It's good for the customers, not so good for the restaurant owners (life is not fair)

        • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:44

          Another layer of reviews is an interesting point. I tend to look at things like Zomato when looking for a new restaurant - but even then you can get information overload. The things that annoy people can be many and varied so it is more important to read the reviews than just look at the rating. Some reviews I have read are more a reflection of the customer than the restaurant.

          When I was overseas I was using Trip advisor to figure out what restaurant to go to - invariably when I found the restaurant with the "good rating" it was nearly empty. However, just down the road would be a lovely place full of locals and great food - that test worked a treat.

          The other problem is you also have the delivery layer over the top. People might be rating on what was a "delivery" issue rather than a restaurant issue.

    • dasher86 on 19/01/2018 - 15:53
      +2

      remember delivery hero and all the free codes?
      I used to get a pamphlet saying please order from us directly..
      Of course delivery hero had a voucher and all.

  • GG57 on 19/01/2018 - 15:29

    It really depends on the restaurant. A lot of the 'better' restaurants I would prefer to eat at the restaurant and experience the ambience, nicer food presentation, etc.
    For less special restaurants, I am ok with delivery / take-away as the benefits for me are that I can relax, enjoy a drink, etc.

  • Seraphin7 on 19/01/2018 - 15:51

    While I can't pretend to speak for the end economics for a restaurant, but I know a lot of people (our family being one) use the various delivery services and access restaurants we wouldn't normally use (for take away anyway).

    While there is no doubt a loss or margin for restaurants using these middlemen, is it made up for by increased revenue and ultimately increased profit?

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:52

      What is your preferred service?

      • Seraphin7 on 19/01/2018 - 17:05

        We've favoured Deliveroo, to be honest largely because we just went with it first and happened to find a good selection on there. I will say though that the app has gone backwards (functionality removed) and the delivery less punctual since we started. For this reason, we're using it less both by just getting less take out/delivery and by going back to ordering direct and going to pick up.

        Tried Menulog a go once and had a bad experience. Used it for take away (not delivery), got to the place and the order didn't go through even though it had been paid for/charged. Had to order again in store. To be fair to Menulog they did get the matter sorted out over the next few days and returned the funds but have been hesitant since.

        • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 17:06
          +1

          thanks for the feedback, that is the sort of information that is really helpful. Think I might start just ringing restaurants I'm interested in and see if I can pick up, rather than get one of the ordering guys involved.

  • dasher86 on 19/01/2018 - 15:56

    I'm a little odd in the fact the only time i tend to use menu log is when there is a coupon / deal.
    I prefer to eat at restaurants most of the time because it gets me out of the house and less mess to dispose of.
    Things like pizza i tend to call restaurant directly and pick up.

  • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 15:58
    +1

    I think I might add another post to the poll for "pick up from restaurant".

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 17:07

      tried to do that but you need to get the moderator involved.

  • cuteseal on 19/01/2018 - 16:04
    +3

    I thought it would have been a win-win for the restaurant. Yes they pay a percentage to menulog but then again they have one less table occupied which could go to another dine-in customer. Dine-in customers also earn more money from drinks, desserts and coffees and stuff, which the delivery customer wouldn't usually order. As long as all their tables are occupied then the menulog orders would be another revenue stream.

    For me if I want restaurant food I would prefer to eat in to enjoy the ambiance and also to have my food fresh from the kitchen.

  • Ocker on 19/01/2018 - 16:20
    +3

    UberEats charge restaurants 35% commission. My gripe is that if I ring our local Chinese take-away restaurant direct and pick-up, rather than UberEat, I still get charged the same amount and the same amount of food. I reckon they should sell direct cheaper.

    • try2bhelpful on 19/01/2018 - 17:08
      +3

      You are an Ozbargainer, negotiate.

  • NancyCat on 19/01/2018 - 17:30
    +3

    We have 3 kids, I would love to have someone cook for us and do all the dishes…but in reality, it's easier to have take-away (usually pick up) and have them at home. Especially when we have guests, adults can enjoy food & nice wine (no corkage)at the table, when the kids are playing/watching movie/sleeping in the other room.

  • Masterpupil on 19/01/2018 - 17:47
    +3

    If you have young kids, then eating out can be very tiring, so more often than not we take-out, and only go out when there are no children.

  • bluesky on 19/01/2018 - 20:15

    I prefer to eat at the restaurant because

    • food is freshly cooked - straight from the kitchen
    • new and different environment
    • feeling of being pampered - since no need to clear away and wash dishes etc
  • lainey13 on 19/01/2018 - 22:02

    A lot of things don't survive the journey, they just don't work sitting for 20 mins in a container. The food isn't really freshly cooked then. However the convenience is great if you seriously can't be arsed leaving the house, the weather is crap, too busy to go out, feeling sick etc. So if I want a decent meal, I'll go out. If I just need to get fed I usually go for my emergency food (freezer, microwave food etc)… so I rarely use these services. Only if I REALLY can't be bothered.

    • try2bhelpful on 20/01/2018 - 07:41

      I think stews and curries would survive the situation as they don’t mind being reheated.

      I’m with you on the freezer meals. Make a big pot of something and then freeze serves for later. I bought one of the Philips pasta makers and it is great. If I have eggs, flour and water in 20 minutes, of minimal effort, I have fresh pasta for my reheated pasta sauce. Tastes much better than dried pasta and makes it feel less “leftovers”.

  • fruit on 19/01/2018 - 22:28
    -1

    Who cares

    • try2bhelpful on 20/01/2018 - 07:30
      +1

      Apparently you enough to read the post and comment.

  • avgbowlofpho on 19/01/2018 - 23:16

    rather the food brought out fresh

  • pyro love bird on 01/02/2018 - 01:54

    Maybe there could be offers from menulog and the likes to coerce customers into using their platform? I personally prefer to eat at the restaurant, and when I can I use first table, eatclub or dimmis when they have 50% off on bookings to help with the 'markups' it's then a bargain to eat out. I recently went to a restaurant and had 70% off the full menu. I paid about $16 for a ~$55 diner

  • anastasiastarz on 02/02/2018 - 03:46

    We go out twice-ish a week and almost always eat at the restaurant. We only get delivery if it was free and we were swamped at the office, there was a cyclone or something like that - though there was one time where we were going to eat in, but got takeaway because the place was so dirty…

    What gets me dinning in? Dimmi and liven offers. e.g. We had pho the other day and other things, bill was $40 but we paid $20 as it was a new place the app was promoting. Have yet to try EatClub.

    • try2bhelpful on 02/02/2018 - 09:56

      I love you got takeaway when the place was so dirty. If this is the area that is displayed to the public is like I wonder about the kitchen?

      • anastasiastarz on 02/02/2018 - 22:09

        We had already ordered. :(
        They got a bad review.

  • poppit88 on 10/02/2018 - 23:03

    I read the article too. The concerns restaurants had with new platforms such as menu log, was that people were now just sitting at home, dialing from their phone and menulog and others just delivering. Prior to this - customers had rung the restaurant direct, ordered their takeaway over the phone and either relied on the restaurants home delivery service - or picked the food up themselves directly.

    Essentially, restaurants are losing up to 10% with this new order platforms. As menulog and others, take their commission from the final cost of the meal.

    10% or so per order, turns into a lot of money for a small business over the course of a year.

    Since reading the article - I've decided to stick to ordering from the restaurant direct.

  • mun4 on 10/02/2019 - 21:45

    I hear Menulog provides the hardware for printing out orders. Is the hardware free or is there a setup fee?

  • Tyler Gannal on 04/03/2019 - 10:06

    For the convenience, I usually ordering though. Most restaurants nowadays even have their own apps for ordering. I get some apknite ordering apps on my phone and that helps me a lot when I'm busy. Sometimes they even give some bonus or sale off for online buyers too. The only thing that anyone may consider is shipping fee. Some is higher fee for others. But I guess we can't have it all.
    I just go to restaurant when we have a business meeting or some dates. It has its own joy though, because the food is serve right away.

  • Josh81 on 20/10/2019 - 03:35

    I ordered from an Indian place through menulog, and then started to order from the restaurant directly so they wouldn't have to pay a commission.
    Well tonight I ordered some regular items, and they were more expensive than the menulog prices! 8.3% more.
    I asked the server why, but wasn't actually told why, they just confirmed that it's a different price ordering through the restaurant.
    So much for trying to support the restaurant directly. Now you get penalised.
    Menulog from now on.

    I thought this might have something to do with having a contract with menulog, and prices being set for 6mths or something… Anyone had a similar experience?

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