The boycott has started: 30+ Aalborg restaurants say “no” to Wolt
An uprising has been brewing amongst Aalborg’s restaurants for a while.
Wolt’s delivery service fees are taking a large cut of their profits, and now over 30 restaurants in Aalborg are boycotting the delivery service.
The boycott is in effect, and if you go into the Wolt app, you will notice a much shorter list of food selections.
Among some of the restaurants joining the boycott are Casa Pazza, Caspars, Penny Lane, WeFeat, and many more. The boycott signals an ultimatum to Wolt.
“We simply cannot survive on this. Although Wolt generates a significant turnover, there is little left on the bottom line,” Ann-Britt Pedersen, owner of Casa Pazza in Reberbansgade, explained to MyAalborg last week.
Massive support from customers
How long the boycott will last is unknown. What is clear is that customers are backing the restaurants’ stance.
“We have received tremendous support from our customers, and we are so grateful that many see our point of view and back us.
Having our customers understand that we do not mind paying for the delivery service but simply disagree with Wolt’s method is incredibly good news.
Many are shocked at how high a service fee Wolt is taking and their outrageous and questionable business model,” Ann-Britt Pedersen says.
The support has been so tremendous that Casa Pazza can feel a difference already on the bottom line.
“Just the other day, we had triple the number of walk-ins and customers that used our service portal.
The amount of support is fantastic and why we are creating the boycott alliance. We wish to give our customers good food directly and with a smile,” the owner of Casa Pazza adds.
The problem in a nutshell
The case for the boycott is quite simple to explain. The profits that remain after using Wolt as delivery service are next to nil.
According to restaurant owners, Wolt takes a high percentage from every order in addition to the fee for the delivery service.
When a hungry Aalborg resident, for example, submits an order for 100 kroner, Wolt charges for the delivery plus 25-30 percent of the order cost.
From the 70 kroner that remain, the restaurants must also pay a tax on this amount.
After delivery fees, Wolt’s cut, and taxes, there is little room to cover overhead and preparation costs, such as wages, suppliers, rent, electricity, heating, and more.
The following have joined the boycott so far:
- Casa Pazza
- Chickies
- Bagel Caféen
- Penny Lane Cafe
- Caspars
- Catch Sushi
- Sara’ pizza
- Falafel House
- OnTheDot
- Suzumi
- Flamestone
- Nunu kebab
- Vestbyens pizza
- Which sandwich
- WeFeat
- Boba Drop
- Grill Bazaren
- Net-Bazar
- Pizza Bianka
- Candylicious
- Panda Sushi
- HD Slagter
- Bønkels
- Lifli sushi
- Bridge Fried Chicken
- Burger Beast
- The Pita House (Aalborg)
- Kastet Grill & Burger
- Istanbul Kebab
Get off the couch, walk over and pick-up the food
The first weekend of the boycott has passed but more will come. The weekends are the busiest times to order takeaway so maybe consider taking a stroll to one of your favorite spots.
The boycott will bring some customer frustration, and Ann-Britt Pedersen and colleagues know that the ease of ordering will be missed.
“We know ordering delivery is important for our customers and that is why we are developing our system so we can make the deliveries.
Some of us use JustEat and Hungry, and their staff is employed under better conditions we still encourage these delivery services.
Many restaurants primarily rely on Wolt and will suffer from the lack of orders. But we must put our foot down as the alternative is not much better.
The best we can hope and ask is that Aalborg residents support all of us by getting out of the house and walking over to get the food. We can meet all our customers, offer a smile and friendly service,” Ann-Britt Pedersen explains.
The restaurants met with Wolt representatives on Monday where they proposed two initiates to help the restaurants: An energy-supplement and an opportunity to sell outside of Wolt’s platform.
As many of the restaurants have already implemented similar initiatives, most of them chose to say no and continue the boycott.
