Accusing foodpanda of charging extra, Ctg restaurateurs threaten to halt orders, issue 6 demands
They also alleged that restaurants face penalties or financial losses when customers cancel orders because riders arrive late to collect food.
Restaurant owners in Chattogram have threatened to stop accepting orders through foodpanda unless the food delivery platform meets six demands, including capping total charges at 15% and settling payments within seven days.
The Chattogram Metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association announced the demands at a press conference yesterday (10 October), accusing foodpanda of imposing excessive charges, making opaque deductions and delaying payments.
The association's president, Md Imtiaz Uddin Naushad, and general secretary, Manjurul Haque, spoke at the event.
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In a written statement, Manjurul Haque said restaurant owners have to pay various charges, including online payment fees, waiting charges, VAT on commissions, tablet fees and internet fees. These deductions significantly reduce their actual earnings, he said.
The owners also alleged that foodpanda's complicated accounting statements make it difficult to understand individual deductions and their reasons. They questioned why the platform imposes additional charges beyond commissions, saying domestic food delivery platforms operate through consolidated commission structures.
Restaurant owners said they incur costs for ingredients, labour and food preparation after receiving orders. If an order is cancelled after the food has been prepared, it cannot always be sold to another customer, leaving the restaurant to bear the loss.
They also alleged that restaurants face penalties or financial losses when customers cancel orders because riders arrive late to collect food.
The owners further accused foodpanda of deducting money from payments due to restaurants based on customer complaints without properly verifying the allegations or hearing the restaurants' explanations.
Restaurant owners said they often have to wait 13 days or longer to receive payments for sales made through foodpanda. The association has demanded that payments be settled within seven days.
Its six demands include capping total charges at 15%, providing transparent statements of deductions, compensating restaurants for cancellations for which they are not responsible, ending penalties for rider delays, stopping deductions over unverified complaints, and settling payments within seven days.
The association also urged the Bangladesh Competition Commission, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and the Ministry of Commerce to introduce specific regulations to ensure fair competition and transparency in the online food delivery sector.
It warned that restaurants across Chattogram city would jointly suspend or completely stop accepting foodpanda orders if the demands were not met.
