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Online Takeout Delivery is Back

Posted by timothy on from the those-halcyon-days dept.

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.""

8 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. Looking forward to this: by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Drive to nearby Domino's that offers free WiFi
    2. Order Domino's pizza online at their web site.
    3. Drive home and wait for pizza.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Looking forward to this: by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

      OK, this is how it works.

      0) Go to the Dominos store
      1) Intercept the WiFi.
      2) Grab delivery orders from the web
      3) Place the order in person at the Dominos
      4) Pay pickup prices
      5) Deliver the pizza yourself
      6) Charge delivery prices
      7) Profit!

      If you do this right they will just think that you buy a lot of pizza.

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  2. Nice ad for this company, but old news by pctainto · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've been using CampusFood.com to make my takeout (or pick-up) deliveries for quite some time. Great service. I don't think that online delivery services ever left the internet -- this story is just a shameless plug for some new startup.

    --
    I think my principles are reachin' an all time low
  3. CAD by XFilesFMDS1013 · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a CAD comic for every story...

    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/?t=archives&date= 2005-02-21

  4. Slashdot gets fooled again by turambar386 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Another blatent advertisement gets posted as a story. Yawn.

  5. Finally, they figure out the Dominoes model! by birge · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It took them long enough, but they finally realized that if you hide the cost of the second business (delivery) in the prices from the first business (food) people can be fooled into thinking they are getting free delivery.

    Or, another way of looking at this is that urban prices are so inflated that one can piggyback entire businesses inside the margins. I suppose when a sandwich costs $15, you've got a lot of room to play with your delivery model.

  6. Re:Meh! by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

    --
    Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
  7. Re:Meh! by lostwanderer147 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I once ordered a ninja burger, but it never came, so I guess that the delivery person committed seppuku.

    --
    All your .sig are