Restaurant delivery services should cap their charges at 15 per cent for the next six months to help restaurants survive the winter and the COVID-19 pandemic, both the B.C. NDP and B.C. Liberals say.
NDP candidate David Eby announced his party’s policy at a burger restaurant in Vancouver Oct. 9, minutes after the B.C. Liberal Party sent out a statement promising to do the same thing. Eby said the cap has been implemented in some places in the U.S. and if companies like Doordash, Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats won’t do it voluntarily, a re-elected NDP government will “find a way” to impose the limit through regulations.
Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association, said the cap could make the difference between getting through the winter and closing down for many restaurants, estimating that up to 40 per cent of restaurant sales are through delivery services.
Services are charging as much as 30 per cent of the delivery price and that would be too much for some restaurants to keep going, Tostenson said. Some services are also charging customers for delivery at the other end, the NDP said in a statement.
Eby said the NDP government has helped restaurants by speeding up patio space on streets, extending the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch wholesale price to restaurants an allowing liquor deliveries along with meals.
The B.C. Liberals said their promise to eliminate the small business income tax will also help restaurants keep going.
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