Image: Alex Muravev
The four-way war over food delivery

Good morning! This Tuesday, what the food delivery commission caps mean, Facebook and others reimplement mask mandates, and Google is making its own chips.
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Food delivery can seem magical: Press a button, and there's a pizza at your door. But behind the scenes, that transaction has turned into an all-out war between cities, delivery companies, mom-and-pop restaurants and delivery drivers who are fighting each other over every single dollar.
The love triangle between the companies, restaurants and drivers was already complicated — then the government intervened. In spring 2020, cities rushed to pass emergency commission caps to limit the amount that delivery companies could siphon off of a delivery order.
Now cities want to make those caps permanent, and it's back in the ring for another fight.
The hard part: Nobody really wins. Drivers are still striking over low wages. Restaurants are still closing. The caps are costing food delivery companies millions. Diners are paying more than ever in fees. Then the cycle repeats, as higher prices lessen consumer demand leading to decreased revenue for restaurants and the delivery drivers.
Now that the caps are becoming permanent, there's one thing that's clear: Your late-night burrito delivery won't be getting any cheaper anytime soon. Sorry to be the one to break the news.
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