free_LUNCH

I recently came across Campusfood.com and found it quite convenient to order food from. It has a list of all major restaurants that deliver near the place you stay and helps to coordinate order processing for delivery. From most restaurants that I ordered from, they also had a $1.00 off coupon for next order (can be used within 7 days of prior order). For a student, a penny saved is a penny earned. Moreover the convenience was good enough. That was until I saw that they charged me a 75 cent service fee on my order. C’mon! Shouldn’t businesses such as these charge restaurant owners for a placed order. Maybe they do, but it is not transparent to me. Well, doesn’t the $1.00 coupon offset the 75 cent payment. No. Because the next time I order, I pay 75 cents again. Thus I am essentially 50 cents out of pocket. You may say the sum is small and the convenience makes up for it. No. I just picked up the phone, called the restaurant, ordered my food without the unnecessary service charge. Convenient enough!

The bigger picture here is this. Restaurants are getting visibility on the site, they are gaining business and thus they should the only ones who are charged. The consumers on the other hand, have another option of get the same food at the same price without a fee. So there is no reason why they should be charged. Yes, there may be some benefits to the consumer, but the business model can be better than charging the consumer.

Note that there are a few promotions for the restaurants mentioned on the site. One argument could be that you will not get the savings if you called the restaurants directly. My question to you is – have you tried?

And BTW, have you ever come across a promotion which says free laptop/iPod/etc. and then they make you sign up and pay for services from other companies. Yes, Campusfood.com wants you to do that if you want free cash. Free?