[_jal]

I've stopped using delivery apps, and am calling my local restaurants directly. Some have, um, less formal delivery options, and I fall back to just walking over.

In my estimation, my local restaurants need that 30+% more than public companies.

[icedchai]

In this environment, I generally prefer to pick the food up myself because I see it as less risky. There is one less person touching the food (and who knows what else in their car.)

Delivery people also get lost around here pretty often, and I hate having to track them down. Plus I am leaving extra trips for the restaurant instead of the delivery driver.

[iancmceachern]

Agreed, I've had business owners tell me so (the extra 30% is meaningful to them)

[bsder]

Yeah, I've been ordering more directly as well as ordering more food than I usually would specifically to help support any local restaurants that are still alive.

I lost the O and Threadgill's in the same week. :(

[PascLeRasc]

Wait do you mean The O in Pittsburgh? I haven't heard about that but I'd hate to see them close.

[bsder]

Yes. The O in Pittsburgh. <cries>

https://goodfoodpittsburgh.com/riptheo-pittsburgh-mourns-the...

This is almost as traumatic as when they closed Chiodo's Tavern in Homestead.

[JMTQp8lwXL]

Most businesses aren't charging normal prices via apps. They're marked up due to platform / middleman fees. The notion of giving 30% more likely is not reality. Leave a larger tip, or buy more, to support them in these times.

[sfj]

You're wasting gas, though, and hurting the environment.

[_jal]

I don't own a car, and use one less that once a month on average. Somewhere around half the folks who bring me food don't use cars to deliver, either.

But I'm certain you walk literally everywhere you go, wear only second-hand clothes, avoid buying necessities with packaging or that has to be transported far, don't use disposable paper products, compost everything you can, and so on, right?

Because surely only the environmentally saintly would feel entitled to off-topic carp about trivial energy use when they don't know anything about the lifestyle of the person they're trying to call out.

[atq2119]

This is an incredibly US-biased comment, plus the comment you responded to even spelled out explicitly that they walk to their local restaurants...

[sfj]

> Some have, um, less formal delivery options, and I fall back to just walking over.

He only walks to some, not all. And I don't live in the US, so if it's incredibly US biased, I just got lucky, I guess.

[detaro]

Yes, to those that don't have delivery options. What makes delivery organized by the restaurant more wasteful than the delivery by someone working for a gig-economy app?

[sfj]

Because the restaurant can't combine its orders with those of its competitors in one run. Economies of scale.

[michaelmrose]

I believe they said they walk but even so I cannot imagine much difference.

If you are concerned the logical thing is to cook your own dinner and burn zero gas.

[sfj]

He said he sometimes walks. I'm just saying there is a downside that he didn't mention/consider to what he does.

What I do doesn't really effect that.