TOWSON, Md. (AP) - A county in Maryland has limited the amount of fees third-party food delivery services charge in an effort to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic.
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski issued an executive order Tuesday slashing fees apps such as Uber Eats and GrubHub can take from the total cost of orders to 15%, news outlets reported. The popular apps typically take commissions from restaurants around 30% of the total costs of orders.
Paolo Romeo, a restaurant owner in the county, told WBAL-TV some services charge higher than that. “It’s a lot of fees, and I know for restaurants that are struggling, it’s another expense on top of everything else,” he said.
As patrons limit dining out to limit the spread of the virus, restaurants across the country have been calling on them to avoid using the apps in order to boost sales. Other cities like San Francisco have also capped the fees.
Olszewski said at a Tuesday news conference the 15% cap will make sure more money “goes into the pockets of restaurant owners and their staff.”
The order in Baltimore County will last until the end of the county’s COVID-19 state of emergency. But it’s a double-edged sword for owners like Romeo since DoorDash and other apps also bring business. “We just want to make sure that it doesn’t affect the service and the availability of DoorDash because we do rely a lot on DoorDash,” he said.
Officials in Baltimore and Anne Arundel County have also introduced bills to cap food delivery fees. Michelle Blackwell, a representative with Uber Eats, told The Baltimore Sun last week the company drives demand to restaurants.
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