Senator Brad Hoylman Calls On Big Tech Platforms To Help Save NYC's Small Businesses By Temporarily Waiving Or Capping Fees Charged To Restaurants

NEW YORK — Tonight, New York City will begin enforcing new regulations to limit large gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants will be prohibited from serving eat-in meals, and are only permitted to provide take-out and delivery service. 

It is likely that New Yorkers will increasingly rely on food delivery services operated by major tech companies, including Uber Eats, Postmates, Seamless and Caviar, which generally require a significant fee from restaurants as their commission. Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan) introduced the following statement in response:

“COVID-19 poses an existential threat to small business in New York City. If we don’t step up and take extraordinary measures now, we may not have any bars or restaurants to return to after these much-needed safety restrictions are lifted. 

“Today, I’m calling on every major food delivery service operating in New York City to cap the fees they charge restaurants at 10%—or better yet, waive those fees entirely. Our city’s restaurants already operate on razor-thin margins, and this unprecedented shutdown could push many of them past the point of no return. 

“No one wants to live in a city where only hamburger chains and fast-casual salad joints can survive. Simply deferring commissions is not enough—GrubHub, Seamless, Caviar, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates and every other delivery service operating in NYC must waive or cap fees to save New York City’s small businesses."