اخبار البحرين – وطن نيوز
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-01-24 00:33:00
Investigation – Ayman Shakal – Restaurant owners: We sell more…and we profit less – Delivery companies: We bear high operational costs. “We work for delivery companies, and we may lose most of the time, but we must continue and continue working because neither the market nor delivery companies can be merciful,” say restaurant owners. On the other hand, delivery companies believe that this picture does not reflect the entire operational reality of the market, by emphasizing that “the relationship with restaurants is a commercial partnership relationship subject to market and cost considerations, and not a dependency relationship,” noting that “both parties work within stressful competitive conditions.” In Al-Watan’s attempt to understand what is happening behind the scenes of the food delivery market, and the gains and losses shared by restaurants and delivery companies, it turns out that the main financier in the profits of these institutions remains the owner of the order, who is borne of all costs, starting from the basic cost of the order. The cost of delivery, and the delivery company’s commission, which may reach a third of the price, in addition to other fixed and indirect costs that ultimately flow into the delivery companies’ bank account and whose main source is the customer’s pocket, and the matter is not much different for restaurant owners who make their entire profits from the customer’s pocket as well, at a time when the delivery companies’ response about their profits comes by focusing on that “These revenues do not represent net profits, but rather are used to cover direct and indirect operational expenses that ensure the continuation of the service and its spread.” “Al-Watan” mentioned their names, or even mentioned the name of the restaurant, for fear of harm that might befall them in transactions with delivery companies, as one of them said that “the company gets a percentage of sales ranging between 27-30% of all sales, without calculating the net profit or operating conditions and the cost of the product compared to its price.” Of course, delivery companies see the matter with a different eye by refuting that “commission rates vary according to the volume of sales and the type of service provided, and are included in clear contracts that are agreed upon in advance.” According to the statement of the restaurant owner (M), who refused to reveal his name, “the percentage varies from one restaurant to another due to criteria, most notably: the volume of daily and monthly sales, and the history and fame of the restaurant,” pointing out that “the appearance of the restaurant’s name at the top of the delivery company’s lists has another price that is paid,” while the delivery companies say that “the order in which restaurants appear is also subject to technical factors such as evaluations and speed of implementation, in addition to paid marketing options that some restaurants choose voluntarily.” (M) pointed out that “delivery companies also deduct a percentage The credit card is included in the payments, and it is charged to the restaurant, which in turn tries to burden the customer with these increasing fees and costs. He said that his restaurant “one month sold through a delivery company for a total of 2,000 dinars, but he only received 500 dinars from it.” At this point, the delivery companies respond that “electronic payment fees are imposed by payment service providers, and do not represent direct revenue for the company.” According to (M), the explanation for this falls within the fact that “restaurants are sometimes forced to make offers through companies.” Delivery, and when there is a 30% discount, the company will add it to its percentage; Thus, the restaurant may eventually reach 40% of the price of the order that it sold to the customer.” While the delivery companies say that the promotional offers aim to increase the volume of orders, and the company may bear part of their cost in some marketing campaigns. During which he sent orders, and began working for a while…and waited for his sales returns to be sent from the delivery company, but he did not receive anything, he said, while delivery companies usually explain the matter by saying that the timing of transferring dues is subject to specific financial cycles stated in the contracts. According to the new restaurant owner, when he contacted the company to inquire about his rights and sales returns, they informed him that the commission had been deducted, and the value of the device for the orders, in addition to a monthly fixed fee calculated, whether there were sales, or he did not sell anything! This is justified by the delivery companies by saying that these fees cover the costs of devices, technical support, and technical infrastructure, and cannot be negotiated. Because it harms the company’s operational structure. Are there whales in the market?! The opinion of the owner of a small restaurant that “Al-Watan” contacted was no different from the owners of the largest and most famous restaurants, as he described the delivery companies as “market whales,” indicating that he contracted with the delivery company to begin informing the customer of his presence on the restaurant map, and he began receiving many orders, but at the end of the first month he did not receive his sales dues from the company, and of course the delivery companies reject this description, and say that talk about whales in the market is an exaggeration, confirming The market is open and competitive, and subject to the laws of supply and demand. According to what the owner of the small restaurant told us, he went to the delivery company’s office and met with one of the managers who told the restaurant owner: “We have large establishments that we deal with with large quantities of orders around the clock, while your restaurant’s orders are negligible, and it is difficult to search for them at the present time because we are busy,” before he was asked to contact them after a week, and although the restaurant owner saw in the way of dealing “condescending” to what he called “whales,” as he described it, the delivery companies have another opinion on the matter by clarifying that “the intensity of daily operations It may sometimes lead to an administrative delay without intending condescension or insult. Returning to the small restaurant owner, he says: “For every 30 dinars from sales, I may get only 17 or 18 dinars from it, and this puts pressure on the restaurant and its ability to continue working, but in order to continue, I must endure, as if I am gambling with my money in the hope that a day will come when I will win.” At a time when the delivery companies’ response to everything related to costs is that “these percentages include operational costs, and do not represent a profit.” Net costs and customers. All restaurant owners interviewed by Al-Watan complain about the fixed costs they bear that affect their ability to continue, which are the materials included in the product, labor, energy, and rents. They said that the customer believes that restaurants profit from raising prices, while the largest profit margin does not reach those restaurants, but is in the hands of delivery companies, to which the delivery companies respond by saying that a large portion of their revenues is pumped back into the market through marketing and discounts. According to restaurant owners: “… “Revitalizing the market by making offers and discounts to attract the customer, but the restaurant and the customer share the cost without any loss to the delivery company, so we work for those companies, and we strive for them to win and for us to lose.” Here we can look at the response of the delivery companies based on the idea that they may bear losses in some promotional campaigns, especially in new markets or periods of intense competition. Delivery… the big challenge! Of course, there are some restaurants who prefer to work with their delivery crew and rely on their fame, which was explained by a restaurant owner who does not prefer to deal with delivery companies. He said that his restaurant has a customer who communicates with him directly, and the orders are delivered through our employees very quickly. The restaurant owner explained that the delivery process represents a major challenge for the restaurant, as delivering the order on time requires that you have the ability to do so, and that his order reaches the customer hot, and before he complains and gets bored, and the restaurant may lose a customer due to a delayed order. He said that delivery companies are distinguished by their ability to implement orders as quickly as possible compared to other restaurants that deliver their orders themselves. Models that do not depend on delivery quality. Another of the restaurants that “Al-Watan” contacted was restaurants that do not deliver their products. One of the officials explained the reason for this to be that it offers the customer the experience of the place before the quality of the food, and its products depend on other things to attract the customer to the restaurant, whether the decor or the reputation of the restaurant, as well as its location in a famous commercial complex that people constantly come to. The official in the restaurant said that the operations differ in this case, and may sometimes be unprofitable, but we adhere to this method that places it in the high rank of specialized restaurants. Enter the company. New Now, with the entry of a new company into the delivery market, will things be different? This is what most of the restaurant owners that Al-Watan contacted were not aware of, as they said that they contacted the new company, and it turned out that it operates with the same policy that all delivery companies apply, which is the monthly fees and commission, which may be a little low in the beginning to grab a piece of the market cake, but it will rise later, and although Al-Watan was unable to obtain a direct response from the new company, most delivery companies believe that this strategy is common in the markets. It ensures competitiveness. Restaurant owners confirmed that the impact of this company’s entry into the delivery market may appear no less than 4 months from now, pointing out that those present in the market currently occupy a large sector of delivery operations, making it difficult to compete with the presence of a “long breath” and huge offers that attract the customer who is accustomed to the old and well-established companies in the Bahrain market, while the companies indicate that open competition is in the interest of the consumer in the long term. What did the delivery companies say? Al-Watan asked an official in a delivery company who denied what There are rumors about astronomical profits earned by the company, and he confirmed that the operational costs are very large and vary between workers’ salaries, management, legal affairs, petroleum materials, vehicle maintenance, advertising, and the cost of technologies and application, which require very large sums, and all of these matters may not be clear to restaurants and customers. A delivery worker denies. On the other hand, “Al-Watan” contacted one of the delivery workers, who in turn denied that the company bears the cost of gasoline or maintenance, and said that most of the time the contracts do not include these matters and are lump sum salaries that do not take into account working conditions, especially with the high prices. The restaurant owners gave advice to the customer who was found to be bearing all these costs. The restaurant does not want to lose, nor will the delivery companies bear a loss. They stressed that the consumer’s awareness of what he pays for the order and making a comparison between its true value and its price upon receipt must be a routine procedure that he performs with every “order” because some costs may be incurred without his realizing it. The restaurant owners advised customers to communicate directly with the restaurant and negotiate the price with it or search for a special offer. On the other hand, the delivery companies believe that ordering via platforms provides The customer has protection and after-sales service. In conclusion, the dispute between restaurant owners and delivery companies does not appear to be a conflict between a strong party and a weak party, as much as it is a reflection of the imbalances in a rapidly growing market, in which the cost of operation, the intensity of competition, and consumer expectations are intertwined in an equation from which no party emerges completely victorious. Restaurants are complaining about the erosion of profit margins and limited options, and delivery companies are facing increasing operational burdens in a limited market, while the delivery worker stands in the middle trying to secure his income, and in the end the customer remains the one who pays the highest cost in exchange for convenience and speed. Reactions of followers of “Al-Watan” accounts Followers of “Al-Watan” accounts who interacted with the investigation into restaurants and delivery companies saw that the solutions are in the hands of people, not to rely entirely on delivery, and to search for restaurants that have a delivery service, stressing that imposing more Decisions on delivery companies will only be borne by the citizen. Jamal Bousman said: “The best content ever, but where is the one who understands and applies it?” While Youssef Al-Haddi called on people to return to home cooking, and said: “Cook in your homes,” while another account responded to him: “People are not cooking now despite the presence of an indoor kitchen and an outdoor kitchen due to the pressures of daily life, laziness, and other things.” For its part, the “Khaled 3” account confirmed that “narrating the problem is simple, but it is difficult to find more than one solution to a problem.” One,” while one of them said on another account: “The gluttony is for those who order from apps…the restaurant’s hours are behind their house, and after they ask for a delivery, it is no longer the same.” The “Ammar 8282” account demanded that “restaurants return to providing delivery, and the situation will be better in terms of prices and costs, and if a problem occurs, they can return to the restaurant and hold it accountable, after delivery companies have started blaming restaurants.” In turn, Nader Suleiman said, “The issue is interesting and is being discussed in society,” while Abdullah Al-Mannai suggested that “the solution should be The customer from the restaurant, and be aware.” He demanded that “the authorities regulate the rate of restaurants and delivery fees, cancel the annual subscription, prevent offers on the restaurant’s account, and determine the delivery distance to be within each governorate.” Another account warned that “weak competition causes monopoly, which requires intervention by putting an end to commissions like other sectors, and if the competition is great, the delivery companies will be forced to reduce their commission, but he came back to confirm that direct ordering will be at a better price.” The account indicated that “restaurants are forced to raise their prices.” In order to cover the losses, and this will be at the customer’s expense.” He said: “It is better to buy our items ourselves and use delivery only when necessary and at a minimum.” While Ali Karrar’s account called for “regulating the market and controlling profit rates and fees.” As for Abu Ritaj, he said: “From personal experience and familiarity with the restaurant accounts of one of my friends, he participated in one of the delivery programs and the agreement was that their interest was 30%. He sold for 420 dinars. He was surprised that they gave him only 180 dinars, and upon communicating with them, they told him that for each order there is 500 fils for delivery, which is charged to the restaurant owner and not the customer + an additional 2% if payment is not cash + a 20% discount if ordering from one of their promotions. In the end, it turned out that their percentage had exceeded 65% of the value of the order, and not from the profit margin, and the restaurant owner lost 140 dinars + operational expenses, rent, electricity, and labor.
