Yelp Is Replacing Restaurants’ Phone Numbers So Grubhub Can Take a Cut (vice.com)

Article summary

Yelp has been replacing restaurants' phone numbers with Grubhub-owned numbers, allowing Grubhub to take a cut of orders placed through those numbers. This practice has been criticized by restaurant owners, who claim it is unfair and deceptive. The change was made as part of a partnership between Yelp and Grubhub, which allows customers to order food through Grubhub from within the Yelp app. Restaurant owners are concerned that they are losing profits due to the high fees charged by Grubhub.

Main themes

• Yelp and Grubhub partnership
• restaurant phone number replacement
• Grubhub fees and commissions
• deceptive business practices
• online ordering and food delivery

What commenters say

• Some users prefer Google Maps over Yelp due to its more reliable ratings and reviews.
• Yelp's algorithm is stricter and makes it harder to fake reviews, but some users disagree and think it's just as easy to manipulate.
• The practice of replacing phone numbers is seen as deceptive and unfair to restaurant owners, who are losing profits due to Grubhub's high fees.
• Some commenters think that regulation is necessary to address the issues with Yelp and Grubhub's business practices, while others believe that the market will correct itself.
• The quality of reviews on Yelp has decreased over time, making it less useful for finding good restaurants.
• Google Maps has improved its review quality and quantity, but some users still prefer Yelp for certain features like menu photos.
• The partnership between Yelp and Grubhub is seen as a way for Grubhub to increase its profits at the expense of restaurant owners, who are already struggling with high fees and commissions.