3 ms·

To be honest, not a great look from Matt. It's entirely possible that a lot of this was a misunderstanding, since microsites is literally a product feature that

To be honest, not a great look from Matt. It's entirely possible that a lot of this was a misunderstanding, since microsites is literally a product feature that GrubHub sales folks use to sell to restaurant owners (among several, several other features that GrubHub provides). One could imagine that this was mainly a communication error, and it could've been fixed by updating GrubHub's sales processes. But Matt saying that restaurants have it wrong? It's just... not a smart thing to do. GrubHub has a symbiotic relationship with restaurant owners, and they gain nothing from insulting restaurant owners.

wvenable 7y ago
They might have not-insignificant potential revenue losses if they have to remove these micro-sites.
- munk-a 7y ago
  Welp, it appears they have not-insignificant PR backlash from handling this so poorly. If a restaurant owner wants the domain for their website it'd probably be a real PR win for grubhub to just transfer ownership.
  - tdhoot 7y ago
    The article says they hand over ownership on demand.
- shay_ker 7y ago
  Both GrubHub _and_ restaurants, yes.
  - wvenable 7y ago
    The restaurants will gain if they take over the microsite and put their own content there because they won't have to pay a fee to GrubHub.
    - shay_ker 7y ago
      Perhaps! But remember that wouldn't work as well for merchants that use GrubHub Delivery drivers. And many restaurants owners aren't that tech-savvy.
JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
Agreed. Blaming the restaurants is an absolutely horrendous political play. They don't need GrubHub. There are many other operators that fill a similar niche. Accepting responsibility for the communication error (if we can call it that) is the best way to keep a positive sentiment with restaurant owners. Blaming the restaurant owners sends a message here -- GrubHub feels they have the upper hand by pointing to the legal language. B2B relationships are not ultimately defined by paperwork, unless grave disputes arise. The relationship is fundamentally is maintaining a good rapport.
- shay_ker 7y ago
  I mostly agree w/ you! > They don't need GrubHub This part I disagree :-) A lot of restaurants depend on GrubHub for their livelihoods.
  - JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
    If you have a really good product, you'd probably survive without GrubHub. But yes, with the advent of these apps (and the decline of going-to-eat-at-the-restaurant experience), we are seeing the commoditization of what's for dinner. It's a tough place to be, with thin margins. But there still are other platforms.
    - shay_ker 7y ago
      c'est la vie

wvenable 7y ago

They might have not-insignificant potential revenue losses if they have to remove these micro-sites.

munk-a 7y ago
Welp, it appears they have not-insignificant PR backlash from handling this so poorly. If a restaurant owner wants the domain for their website it'd probably be a real PR win for grubhub to just transfer ownership.
- tdhoot 7y ago
  The article says they hand over ownership on demand.
shay_ker 7y ago
Both GrubHub _and_ restaurants, yes.
- wvenable 7y ago
  The restaurants will gain if they take over the microsite and put their own content there because they won't have to pay a fee to GrubHub.
  - shay_ker 7y ago
    Perhaps! But remember that wouldn't work as well for merchants that use GrubHub Delivery drivers. And many restaurants owners aren't that tech-savvy.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago

Agreed. Blaming the restaurants is an absolutely horrendous political play. They don't need GrubHub. There are many other operators that fill a similar niche. Accepting responsibility for the communication error (if we can call it that) is the best way to keep a positive sentiment with restaurant owners. Blaming the restaurant owners sends a message here -- GrubHub feels they have the upper hand by pointing to the legal language. B2B relationships are not ultimately defined by paperwork, unless grave disputes arise. The relationship is fundamentally is maintaining a good rapport.

shay_ker 7y ago
I mostly agree w/ you! > They don't need GrubHub This part I disagree :-) A lot of restaurants depend on GrubHub for their livelihoods.
- JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
  If you have a really good product, you'd probably survive without GrubHub. But yes, with the advent of these apps (and the decline of going-to-eat-at-the-restaurant experience), we are seeing the commoditization of what's for dinner. It's a tough place to be, with thin margins. But there still are other platforms.
  - shay_ker 7y ago
    c'est la vie