Delivery drivers and take away orders ruin restaurant meals

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We don't eat out much, maybe once a month or less. When we do go, tends to be local independent restaurants. However our 4-5 most recent experiences are ruined by the revolving door of delivery drivers collecting takeaways and restaurant staff bending over backwards to meet their demand at the expense of those sitting there.

Yesterday we sat directly opposite the kitchen and watched orders for those eating in sit under hot lamps for upwards of 20 minutes whilst they packed order after order to give to the delivery drivers crowded round the door. We waited more than 15 minutes for a waiter to come to take our order, the food arrived at odd times with items missing and a couple of drinks forgotten entirely. The restaurant was at half capacity at this point.

I find it crazy that if I were to order a take away for the restaurant, it would be at my door in 30 minutes but when I am sitting right there, I spend more than half that time just trying to get their attention to place an order.

AIBU to think that the experience of eating out has ben destroyed as a direct result of the explosion of food delivery services?

I feel like you’re seeing my posts as judgement on anyone who orders a take away using delivery which is absolutely isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see the appeal in using them for small orders from McDonalds and coffee shops but each to their own. I have absolutely nothing against someone preferring to have take away because they want to eat in their own surroundings and spend less. When we meet up with a specific group of friends, all with children similar age, we always pick up a take away over going to a restaurant so kids can freely play while we eat in peace.

While I agree yesterday was most certainly a case of very poor management, the general experience has been going downhill in multiple settings over a period of time so I do believe it is the sudden change to a take away model to blame, so multiple restaurants have not been able to adapt

I think your last sentence sums up the problem totally

We had the same last winter. Small restaurant, only table available next to the door. We had to keep our coats on as it was so bloody freezing every time the door was opened every few minutes. Service to the diners was terrible because of all the takeaway orders

Imagine a bloke taking his girlfriend to a nice restaurant to propose. He gets down on one knee..............then gets thwacked on the head by a big Deliveroo bag.

I hope Richard Curtis is on it now!

'four takeaways and an eat in'

I'm not sure how much clearer I can be. You linked your bad restaurant experience 'directly' to the 'explosion in takeaways'.
All I stated was that your premise is false. It's not due to that, but service and staffing levels.

In your example, there would have been zero problems if you'd gotten great service and your food on time. The presence of the delivery drivers have nothing to do with this. In your mind, if they were not there, the staff might have paid more attention to you. But, that's not necessarily true -it's just your assumption.

R.e. multiple going downhill, it's more to do with cost cutting. A very simplistic example , if 5 meals need 1 staff then 50 need 10... But if the restaurant does that they need to raise prices. So they just have 8, and this is the result.

Judgement of eating habits aren't relevant here. The sad truth is, the takeaways are the ones keeping the restaurant afloat, especially if regular. Not you and your occasional treat. If more people ate in it would be different.

If you want a good experience you'll have to pay more unfortunately - especially if it's an independent. The alternative to having lots of takeaways is the restaurant closing down, which even in big cities is happening at an alarming rate.

I worked in a restaurant that decided it was a good idea to go on just eat middle of 2019. I hated it!! Our in house customers were almost a non thought as we MUST KEEP THE TAKE AWAY CUSTOMER HAPPY. You are also kept to insane deadline; some one has to take a bake seat and its always the in house diners that do.
Fair enough do take away. But do either or. 95% of eateries are not equipped to deal with the sheer volume of food you must produce and as fast as possible. Both diners and take away suffers because of the pressure to get the food out and in a "reasonable" time.
You couldn't pay me enough to work in a restaurant that also does take aways. I get that they need the income but I've seen the awfulness and pressure to even attempt to stay afloat doing this.

How anyone can get a roast dinner delivered in a bag is weird.
Roast dinner needs to be eaten in the place it's cooked and preferably at a table.

An area where i used to live - restaurants turned off mobile lrdering st peak hours so as not to disrupt dining room experience. But i was shocked last weekend to see outside of a tube station about 20 motorbikes sitting waiting for orders around 6pm on Friday.

i refuse to do delivery unless necessary necUee the mark up is crazy. When I was a kid we ordered pizza or chinese food - both had their own drivers. I miss that model!!

My local Indian restaurant/takeaway still have their own driver, although they’re on the apps as well. They’re the only place I know who who still does.

Things have been so hard for restuarants in recent years though, I don't blame them.

My local coffee shop put in a takeaway window during covid, and did really well. But then they stopped takeaway as they felt they couldn't do that and also meet the needs of their in shop customers. Fair enough - but they went out of business within a year.

It's similar to starbucks, I think. I used to view starbucks as a reasonably pleasant atmosphere, but every branch I have visited in the past few months has been uniformly filthy. Tables full of unclean mugs and rubbish, and zero attempt to clear them. Not sure if it is staffing cut backs, or drive-through increases making staff too busy.

It's annoying to have delivery motorbikes coming on the pavements and then walking in a restaurant and being face to face by a man in helmet carrying a giant cool bag. Then constant comings and goings. However, some places do it much better and its nicely segregated and no problems at all.

We often order and collect a roast from our local pub (pre ordered a few days before), it comes in foil trays and is lovely, though pub is only two mins away. I wouldn’t order a roast through Deliveroo from the Toby though.

@PassingStranger agree with @Jayne35 they come in foil takeaway tubs and are still steaming hot, very popular around here but not tried one

Yes, they are so annoying and seem to have permanent L plates

I work in a convenience store so not the same as a restaurant but we do have Uber and just bloody eat. We have to “prioritise both the customers in store and the ones who have placed an order on the apps” according to higher management. At the same time. Along with online orders (eg Amazon for example that people pick up). No excuses, it has to be done, to a tight time limit and if it isn’t there are sanctions which then translates into bollockings from managers or actual disciplinary action. They also love to point out that if in app sales fall it affects our budget “so hours will have to be cut.” So there’s threats too. Yay.

I fully agree with you btw OP that it sucks but I also feel really sorry for the restaurant staff who are stressed as fuck about it and wish Uber, Deliveroo etc would fuck right off. The delivery drivers can be rude and demanding but from their perspective they only get paid for each delivery they make, not the times in between where they’re waiting for orders to come through. So they’re under pressure too. Basically, all the low paid staff are going through this endless shower or shite, in person customers are understandably pissed off but hey the much higher up management types are having a great time…

I fully agree with you btw OP that it sucks but I also feel really sorry for the restaurant staff who are stressed as fuck about it and wish Uber, Deliveroo etc would fuck right off. The delivery drivers can be rude and demanding but from their perspective they only get paid for each delivery they make, not the times in between where they’re waiting for orders to come through. So they’re under pressure too. Basically, all the low paid staff are going through this endless shower or shite, in person customers are understandably pissed off but hey the much higher up management types are having a great time…

And the gov wonders why so many people are off work indefinitely with stress, depression and anxiety.

I’m so sorry to all of you that have had to work in these crappy conditions with everyone annoyed at you. When I have sat there frustrated and wanting service, I do see all staff working hard and this is why I’ve not complained. I have in the past expressed how busy they are with deliveries and had a chat but no more.

As well as voting with my feet and not returning as a diner, I will start posting reviews like a PP has suggested. At some point in the future, the model is going to have to change to support this volume of take away orders, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s at the expense of dine in space

Nah, government doesn’t wonder, they just assume people are too lazy to work or should just work harder.

Love to see people with those views have to exist by doing jobs like this.

I’ve worked in an under staffed convenience store that did Just Eat, Evri and DPD. It’s a nightmare and I hated it.

Its not the customers fault, but when people refused to use self service because they wanted ‘interaction’ I hated it as we just didn’t have the time.

Totally agree about the disruption in the restaurant and on the roads, but unfortunately (and especially with smaller/independents) it can well be whats keeping the businesses open these days - I do wish it was better managed though!

They're for the lower orders ma'am.

Even in Greggs Deliveroo drivers get to skip the queue

If they make more money through the take aways then yes, it will be at the expense of dine in space.
So many lovely restaurants near us are struggling or have had to close because the costs for them are so high now, and people just aren’t eating out as much. So if the take away industry is how they keep afloat then I can’t begrudge them that.

Is it skipping the queue when the customer's order was place before you even entered the shop? 🤔