[ad_1]
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The popular local restaurant reviewers website and the St. Petersburg Foodies Facebook group received a strange email on July 30. connect.
The only problem was that the link was directed to Restaurantji.com’s online food delivery service rather than the restaurant itself – and “Linda Alvorado” has no affiliation with the restaurant itself, although the formatting the email strongly implied that she would.
What would you like to know
- The popular St. Petersburg Foodies blog admitted that an unsolicited email was not from a restaurant employee
- Online food delivery services often resort to underhanded measures to boost business
- Make sure your delivery service works with and for your favorite restaurants
“I knew it was wrong right away,” says Kevin Godbee, founder of St. Petersburg foodies. “But imagine if I didn’t know the owners and chefs of the restaurants. The signature reads The Big Catch, along with their address and phone number, and that implies that it is someone who is authorized to speak on behalf of the restaurant.
The email St. Petersburg Foodies received from “Linda Alvorado”. (Screenshot)
The web landscape is littered with online food delivery companies, and some of them have been arrested for shady practices, like when Grubhub was called in for setting up several bogus websites to offer delivery from restaurants. with whom he had not formally entered into a partnership. These web businesses survive on the fees they charge for delivery, which can sometimes be outrageous (and trick customers into not tipping drivers whether or not they think the fees are going to the driver, which is not), and they’re willing to adopt excellent and sometimes allegedly deceptive practices to drive business.
What really infuriates Godbee, however, is her perception that “Linda Alvorado” has presented herself as the spokesperson for the restaurant itself.
“At the very least, yes. It really is something, ”he says. “The reason it failed miserably when it was sent to us is because St. Pete is such a tight-knit community, it’s almost like everyone knows each other, at least in the hospitality industry. Restoration. “
This is not the first time that “Linda Alvorado” has called upon St. Petersburg Foodies, which was founded in September 2016 and has since become a significant influence on the St. Pete’s culinary scene. In May, the group received an almost identical email asking to update the link for ultra-hip downtown restaurant Brick & Mortar.
So, the next time you feel like a delivery, think about what service you’re using and maybe consider going for your meal. You will avoid the sometimes high delivery costs, make sure you get what you ordered, and let your local restaurant know that you are one of the people behind their business.
Bay News 9 has confirmed with The Big Catch in Salt Creek that no one by the name of “Linda Alvorado” has ever been affiliated with the restaurant, which doesn’t even offer delivery in the first place. Neither “Linda Alvorado” nor Restaurantji.com responded to requests for comment.
[ad_2]
Source link