Oakland Dive Bar Hounded by Delivery Drivers From Apps It Never Signed Up to Use | Eater SF

"At this venerable Oakland dive bar I heard co-owner Billy Joe Agan describe a baffling run of activity: call-center–style calls and delivery drivers claiming to be from Grubhub or Postmates showing up with orders that were never relayed to the bar and even listing menu items Eli’s hasn’t offered for years. Eli’s hasn’t partnered with delivery apps for years — Agan says they were on Grubhub for about a week long ago but quit after the kitchen became overwhelmed and a driver refused to enter during a metal show — and instead built their own website that sends orders straight to their point-of-sale, which “works for us.” Still, drivers arrived with outdated menus and prices (he cites prices from 2016), armed with prepaid cards and saying the app would “cover” the difference, forcing staff to either negotiate substitutions, cancel orders when items weren’t available, or send drivers away; Agan worries that customers assume the app-restaurant partnership exists and then blame Eli’s when orders are refused, even though the bar never agreed to be on the apps. He relishes negative customer feedback about service but is rattled by logistics complaints that make him look like “the asshole,” has struggled to get help from Postmates after tracking someone down, and despite all this Eli’s remains listed on Postmates (with a full menu said to be available when the bar reopens on Friday at 2 p.m.)." - Eve Batey