Why is your Uber Eats order taking so long to arrive?

Some have pointed to a shortage of drivers, as well as widespread staffing shortages in the hospitality industry as the cause of the problem, with at least one app – Menulog – currently testing the employment of drivers directly in an effort to close the gap. .

Wei Song, a 28-year-old student from Malaysia who delivers for Uber Eats in the CBD and nearby suburbs on his bike, said he has seen a surge in the number of people joining delivery partners during the closures, which had since resumed to return to other jobs.

But he also said delays were sometimes the fault of restaurants.

“Sometimes the restaurants are too busy. They’ll forget about Uber orders and they’ll start cooking when I get there, ”he said. “I can’t wait to cancel it and let them know that another Uber driver will be coming to take the order.”

Sherry, a 24-year-old driver at Melbourne Uber Eats, says there was no shortage of drivers. Instead, he said poor pay leads drivers to be picky about deliveries.

Sherry, who didn’t want to use his full name as he’s still registered as a driver with Uber Eats, started working full-time for the company in 2019 and was making $ 1,400 to $ 1,800 per week.

But over the years, Sherry said changes to driver pay rates were earning less and less for the same amount of work. As a result, he left the concert economy and now works as a subcontractor for a large liquor retailer, making home deliveries for a guaranteed amount of $ 250 per day.

He said many delivery drivers use multiple apps at once, including Uber Eats, Menu Log, Door Dash and Deliveroo, and would choose higher paying jobs over smaller ones. This meant that restaurants were often left without a driver to pick up the food they had prepared.

“Only two in ten jobs are worth salvaging,” Sherry said. Compared to bicycle delivery men, drivers like him faced increased costs, including vehicle maintenance and fuel prices hovering around $ 2 per liter.

“Previously every job was well paid, but now we have to be picky,” he said. “If you have to drive five kilometers for five dollars, why am I wasting my fuel?” “

Uber did not confirm that its pay structure had changed for drivers, but a spokesperson explained that delivery men received an estimate of each fare before accepting the job.

“This takes into account the estimated delivery time and the time spent traveling and waiting at the restaurant,” he said. “The price indicated to a partner is the minimum amount that a delivery person will be paid. For example, if a delivery takes longer, they may be paid more.

Esther Sun, owner of Mum’s Burger Kitchen in Boronia, said she would often see Uber assign the same driver to pick up different orders for her company’s burgers that had been prepared 20 minutes apart.

“He already has a car full of deliveries of Menulog, and then he’s waiting for the second order of burgers from us to be ready.” Ms. Sun said. “At the end of the day, no one is happy. The drivers are crazy, we are stressed and the customer is unhappy.

Ms. Sun said few customers realized how much of an impact delivery platforms have on small businesses. She said she also avoided the backlash from price increases that were inevitable due to reliance on delivery services during shutdowns.

“Before we increased our prices on Uber, our burgers were $ 12.50 to $ 15. After the 30% Uber commission, we have $ 8.75 left. Our buns cost $ 1.10. Our meat costs $ 1.20 a patty, ”he said. “And what about the salaries of staff and utilities? “

She says that while there are issues with Menulog and DoorDash, she says Uber Eats represents most of her problems because it is the most used app by customers.

Chris Forte, owner of Topolino’s Italian restaurant in St Kilda, now slips flyers into delivery bags to local customers, advising them to avoid service charges, cold and soggy food and long waits by ordering directly from his business for take out, or using their in-house delivery drivers.

But Forte said there will still be a need for businesses like his to use food delivery platforms, including for people living further afield.

“You will never eliminate the presence of Uber Eats and in many cases Uber Eats is often a good idea because in some cases we have customers who live three, four or five kilometers away and they order an item from $ 15 – not worth it for me to deliver.

A spokesperson for Uber Eats said the company has introduced new options for restaurants, including the ability to provide their own delivery people or use Uber Eats to drive demand for in-store pickups with reduced fees.

Menulog, Door Dash, Deliveroo have confirmed that they offer customers a full refund if their deliveries are canceled or not collected, and each has policies that only allow customers to place orders if there are drivers available. In the region.

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