The delivery service Grubhub announced last week that it will be offering New Yorkers with “free lunch” between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today. Of course, the deal comes with some restrictions — such that lunch isn’t actually “free” but reduced by $15 with the promo code “FREE LUNCH,” or that “users will remain liable for any relevant tax, levies, and optional tip.” And of course, because few things are more enticing than the idea of free meals, especially amid growing food costs and food insecurity countrywide, Grubhub seems to have miscalculated the popularity of such a campaign.
Predictably, its roll-out was a nightmare. The Grubhub app and website both began malfunctioning and glitching minutes into the campaign, with difficulties including rejected payments and error message prompts, as Twitter users swiftly pointed out.
Several customers noted that fewer restaurants than normal were available on the site as eateries stopped orders, presumably owing to huge increases in demand: A Grubhub spokeswoman told Eater that “During the Free Lunch promotional period redemptions were six times greater than a similar promotion we had in 2021, and at points we were averaging six thousand orders per minute.” (At some eateries, orders were piling up as they awaited a courier, throwing a wrench into their operations.) That spokesman also says the business “worked with our restaurant network in advance to tell restaurant partners leading up to this promotion,” yet some restaurant owners believe they were caught unaware.
Despite these gripes surfacing on Twitter and other social media in real-time — for which the delivery service provided cursory recognition — Grubhub tweeted throughout the pandemonium to advise consumers to get their last-minute orders in.
The same Post-study noted that promos like this one have grown increasingly widespread among meal delivery providers, as delivery loses the appeal it gained during the peak of the epidemic. As individuals tend to opt for restaurant meals over the delivery and as users are weary of the apps’ hefty service costs and delivery fees, firms like DoorDash and Uber have seen their shares decrease drastically.
NBC said; DoorDash shares went from $246 a share in November to $89 in late April. Underlying all of this is the persistent challenge for delivery apps to establish profitability, as the Wall Street Journal noted last year. As such, what customers receive is more frantic attempts from delivery platforms to gain goodwill and bring in business.
Of all, a glitchy app — or a lunch that never materialized — might not be the best strategy to win back doubting consumers, just as a hare-brained campaign does nothing to better the complicated relationship between eateries and delivery platforms. Still, Grubhub has proven one thing true: “Free lunch” will always be a siren call, even if it’s not truly free. For everyone still waiting on their lunch orders, well, let’s hope you’re tipping well – and preferably in cash. Patience is a virtue on most days, but especially on this one.
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