Online Takeout Delivery is Back

prostoalex writes "It's like watching e-Dreams and re-living the Kozmo.com experience, only this time it's for real, the New York Times says. SeamlessWeb is here (or rather, in New York, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles and southern Connecticut) to take your take-out orders and deliver the food. All is done via their Web site so no need to look for that takeout menu: "SeamlessWeb charges restaurants a commission of 5 percent to 15 percent, while the business pays a 2.5 percent fee for each transaction. The process for consumers will work much the same, except they will be charged no service fee.""

Comments

Re:Meh!

[Rude Turnip]

It's "free" in the sense that if you actually go to the restaurant you'll pay the same price for the food. The restaurant is willing to eat the delivery charge (no pun intended) in exchange for the opportunity to do business with someone who doesn't feel like dining out, but doesn't feel like cooking, either. The delivery service charge incurred by the restaurant, OTOH, is somewhat offset by the fact that it didn't have to pay any waitstaff. My fiance used to work for our local delivery company (Dine In) and explained the process.