The Florida state Senate passed a bill last week designed to regulate third-party food delivery apps, specifically with the aim of increasing consumer and business protections against companies like DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats. The bill heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk next for final approval.
“Food delivery apps are very popular,” Fla. state Sen. Jennifer Bradley, who first introduced the bill, said in a statement. “They provide great convenience to consumers, but the fast growth of food delivery has also made clear that we need consistent standards for transparency, consent and communication between the platform’s restaurants and consumers.”
The new bill would prohibit food delivery platforms from arranging for food pickup from restaurants without their express consent, and if a restaurant requests to be removed from a delivery platform, then that request must be complied with within 10 days.
The bill also provides transparency protections for both consumers and foodservice establishments, requiring delivery platforms to disclose purchase price of food and beverage, delivery fee, tax, and gratuity, as well as estimated time and date of delivery to customers before they place an order. Additionally, partnership agreements between food delivery apps and restaurants must state upfront all fees and commissions that will be charged to the business, as well as clearly state all platform policies, insurance requirements, and policies regarding disputed transactions.
Under the new bill, third-party delivery platforms will also have almost 16 months to provide restaurants with communication capabilities between the business and consumers that place orders on the delivery platform. If the bill passes, by July 2025, food delivery platforms will have to allow restaurants to speak directly with customers during preparation of the order, during the delivery process, and up to two hours after the order has been fulfilled. By July 2025, delivery platforms must also provide restaurants with the ability to directly respond to consumer reviews left on the platform.
“We're pleased that Florida policymakers took a collaborative approach on how platforms like DoorDash can support local restaurants and passed this bill that will help us continue to connect customers with the best of their communities,” a representative for DoorDash said in a statement. We’re committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who uses our platform, and this bill allows us to implement tools that connect customers and merchants without jeopardizing their personal information.”
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