Food delivery apps in D.C. will soon be required to get permission from a restaurant before offering their food via an app.
Ward 5 Council Member Kenyan McDuffie introduced the bill, which was unanimously passed by last week by the D.C. Council.
The law aims to protect restaurants by preventing situations in which apps post inaccurate information or out-of-date menus.
The fair meals delivery emergency declaration resolution will go into effect March 10. It will require third-party food delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash to establish formal agreements with local restaurant before listing them on their app.
“During this pandemic, the negative reviews can be the difference between success and failure for a restaurant,” McDuffie said.
As for the fees of food delivery apps, those could have cost customers more. But last summer D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed emergency legislation to put a cap on commissions fees to 15 percent. Previously, the typical commission was about 30 percent.
