Riviera Pizza owner Dhami Singh has seen an upsurge in orders through Menulog since the government’s regulations were enforced but said the benefits were not being passed on to his business.
“They charge 15 per cent per order, but when they deliver, they charge the restaurant about 30 per cent,” he said.
“Then it can cost a couple of hundred to stay on top of the Menulog list.
“I don’t think many understand how much they take from restaurants.”
Mr Singh said this was making business even more challenging, as the price of some food ingredients had also risen significantly.
“Some items have gone up at least 40 per cent, but it’s not right to increase our prices right now.”
He said his restaurant had an online ordering system and was taking phone orders, and encouraged those wanting takeaway or to pick up a meal to use those channels instead.
Mr Singh said he was trying to move off the platform, but it would take some time as customers had grown accustomed to ordering through the app.
His restaurant has also been abiding by sanitising regulations, including providing contactless delivery.
In Mooroopna, Yiche Restaurant owner Evelyn Anderson said she was experiencing the same hardship with delivery apps amid the pandemic, with Menulog taking about 30 per cent of each purchase.
Because of this, her staff had moved to quickly create their own online ordering platform, which went live on Friday.
“We designed a whole new website because of this, and it is now online,” Ms Anderson said.
“However, we still have some menu items we need to update it with.”
In the meantime, she asked for people to call the restaurant directly and pay for food over the phone.
She said Yiche was adhering to strict sanitising measures, such as leaving meals on chairs outside for customers to reduce human-to-human contact, and sanitising the doors after a person walked in and out.
Menulog has responded to concerns throughout the industry, announcing mid-March it would begin to halve its commission on pick-up orders.
It also promised $3 million in marketing efforts to promote local restaurants, and has waived all activation fees for businesses signing up to the platform.
Shepparton Chamber of Commerce engagement manager Kaye Hanson said while she had not received specific complaints from restaurant owners about delivery apps, she was proud of the efforts made by businesses to remain open and encouraged the community to show support.
“Most of the restaurants I’m chatting to have initiated a pick-up service, and many of the people I’ve spoken to are happy to collect their meals, rather than having them delivered,” she said.
“We’re proud of how our small business community have been able to adapt and pivot in this time.”
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