Warning against restos without permits
Radio-Canada investigates a restaurant without a permit operating in an unsanitary residential basement, selling food via delivery services. They find several others operating illegally in the same way.
Like Airbnb, the delivery services wash their hands of any responsibility for local regulations. I’d say the takeaway here is not to order food from any establishment that hasn’t got a restaurant storefront.
jeather 16:01 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
How do you know if they are real or not? Some I know, but others are just names on an app, and I have no idea if they’re a real restaurant, or a ghost kitchen, or a basement kitchen.
dhomas 16:42 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
When I absolutely need to use an app, I check Google Maps to look up the address listed. If it doesn’t look like a restaurant, I will stay away. But generally, I try to avoid the apps altogether and go to local restaurants for pickup myself. This avoids them having to pay the app’s fees and I can sometimes also get a discount. There was an Indian place not far from me that would offer free delivery (within a 5km range) and a 10% discount if we ordered from them directly. I think they recently discontinued that offer, though. I’m pretty sure the delivery apps didn’t quite like that, though I don’t know if it goes against their T&Cs.
Kate 16:50 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
I’ve never ordered from a place where I didn’t already know the storefront, or at least could see that the storefront existed, so I’m not sure of an answer. Check for Google reviews, maybe?
carswell 17:04 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
My solution: I deal only with restaurants I can order from directly. No DoorDash, Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, Grubhub etc. and I’ll never install one of the food delivery or other gig-work apps on any of my devices. This may also be why my ordering out has dropped from once every couple of weeks to once a year (three times since the start of the pandemic).
With a little planning, it’s not really much of an inconvenience. And it’s certainly a lot cheaper, healthier and better for the environment.
Ephraim 17:41 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
Don’t order for delivery. We prefer to pick up in person. And directly from the restaurant if possible, so they don’t have to pay these multi-nationals
Blork 17:59 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
This story is particularly gnarly because it’s a sushi restaurant. If ever there was a type of restaurant that needs to be on top of hygiene, it’s that. (For the TL;DRs, the issue isn’t just that the resto was unlicensed, but that it was unsanitary.)
Personally, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had food delivered in the past 20 years. Like Ephraim, I prefer picking it up in person. Although that isn’t practical for everyone.
Kevin 19:06 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
Delivery has always been a terrible job that costs the worker more than they realize.
jeather 19:43 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
I would say that I get delivery once, maybe twice a year. Sometimes from an app, sometimes direct. I haven’t checked to see if the restaurants are real, though.
Kate 20:13 on 2023-09-12 Permalink
I didn’t think of myself as a big food orderer, but it seems that since I’m ordering out roughly once a month, I’m doing it a lot more than other folks here.
Sometimes I have a busy day and I just want something like sushi or pho that I can’t easily make for myself and that can’t be picked up at the corner. I know the drivers don’t have an easy life – and now I have another thing to feel guilty for.
walkerp 07:25 on 2023-09-13 Permalink
I only ever order for delivery from a restaurant I’ve actually eaten at. But I try to do the pick-up myself most of the time for the reasons mentioned above but also because I bring my own containers as well.
Daniel 08:16 on 2023-09-13 Permalink
I order once a decade, bring my own containers, and go to the restaurant to prepare the food myself too!
jeather 09:31 on 2023-09-13 Permalink
I’m not being especially ethical here, I’m just cheap, and delivery is expensive.
Ephraim 13:06 on 2023-09-13 Permalink
This was covered last night on La Facture, which you can watch on ici.tou.tv and apparently L’Epicerie tonight is going to talk about people selling meals vis FB Marketplace.
Meezly 13:14 on 2023-09-13 Permalink
On FB and Nextdoor, there are so many of home operations. Mostly people’s “moms” making delicious food, esp. food from various countries that are hard to find in typical restaurants. I’ve been curious and enjoy ogling at the food on offer, but never tried, mostly because I don’t have a car.
The only time I ever buy food prepared at someone’s home are specialty cakes.