SAVA & Delivery Apps

Hi Friends,

Today, I want to talk about Uber Eats—but from the restaurant’s perspective! This might answer some of your questions about long delivery times and pricing. 🙂

At SAVA, deliveries make up only a small portion of our sales, bringing in around $14K monthly. While some restaurants, especially sushi spots, rely heavily on delivery, we don’t.

You might have noticed that menu prices on Uber Eats are often significantly higher than in the restaurant. That’s because Uber takes a 30% (!!) commission, which eats up most of the profit margin. If a restaurant doesn’t adjust its prices to cover this fee, it’s essentially working for free. To put it in perspective, we pay Uber more than $40K annually—and we’re just a small café!

Why Does Your Order Take So Long?

Sometimes, delivery drivers arrive to pick up orders an hour after they’re ready. Even when we press the "order is ready for pickup" button, it doesn’t always make a difference. And trust me, restaurants try to prioritize delivery orders because Uber penalizes delays. So, in most cases, it’s not the restaurant causing the wait!

The Biggest Challenge for Restaurants

Restaurants take most of the blame for delivery issues, even though they have little control over what happens after the order leaves the kitchen.

We carefully pack every order, separating hot and cold items, but once the food is out the door, we can’t guarantee what happens next. If there’s a delay, a spill, or even a missing order, the easiest way for customers to complain is by leaving a low rating for the restaurant and requesting a refund—whether it's our fault or not.

Some Real Uber Eats Stories From SAVA:

1. A customer didn’t receive their order… because the courier probably ate it. We got a one-star review for that. 😂

2. An order took two hours to be delivered, and the food was cold. Guess who got two stars?

How Ratings Work

A restaurant’s rating is based on the last 90 days, so it can be improved over time with good reviews. Interestingly, drivers can also rate restaurants, which affects the number of orders Uber sends our way.

At SAVA, we run special promos on Uber Eats to enhance the customer experience. You might even find a small complimentary treat in your order—unless the driver eats it first! 😉

Have you had any funny Uber Eats experiences? Share them below! We are interested :)