One Toronto restaurant is making the bold decision to ditch delivery apps and encourage diners to eat their food the way it was meant to be eaten: in person.
Nearly five years ago, when the pandemic shuttered businesses and forced us all into the warm, sterile safety of our own homes, restaurants around the world found themselves at an impasse.
A domain formerly dominated by Chinese food and pizza, restaurants of all kinds began to make the move to delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash to preserve whatever business they could during those — say it with me — unprecedented times.
Before too long, offering takeout and delivery was no longer a mere option for restaurants, but a necessity.
When Riverside’s est restaurant opened under new ownership in 2022, owner and Executive chef Jordan Diniz tells me, putting the restaurant on delivery apps was almost a no-brainer.
While the restaurant opened after the height of the pandemic, Jordan says that he and his team found that diners were still hesitant to dine in person, so he figured the addition of delivery options could help the restaurant with a revenue boost as well as some extra exposure.
“It wasn’t something we had initially planned as a core part of our concept, but rather a way to adapt to the dining landscape at the time,” he says.
Now, though, the tides are changing once again, as Jordan recently made the announcement that est is taking a step back from delivery apps for good.
For Jordan, the decision to take est off delivery apps didn’t happen overnight.
“This was a decision we had been considering for a while, but the ‘final straw’ was realizing that no matter how well we packaged our food, we couldn’t control what happened once it left our hands,” he tells me.
“We put so much care into sourcing the best ingredients and preparing each dish with intention, but extended delivery times, temperature fluctuations, and improper handling often meant that guests weren’t experiencing our food the way it was meant to be enjoyed. That wasn’t something we were comfortable compromising on.”
While maintaining the quality and experience Jordan aims to offer was the primary concern when it came to their decision, he tells me that there’s also a considerable financial element that played a part.
“Third-party delivery apps take a significant cut—often 25–30 per cent—which makes it tough for independent restaurants to sustain while maintaining the highest quality ingredients,” he says.
At the end of the day, Jordan tells me, a fine dining experience (or even something that comes close to that) just can’t be replicated with plastic containers, delivered from the back of an e-bike and consumed on your couch.
Some restaurants compliment that approach perfectly, but it’s just not for est.
While the decision was a scary one — delivery orders still make up a portion of the restaurant’s revenue, after all, — Jordan believes that this decision will ultimately be to the benefit not only of est, but of its diners.
“Yes, we are concerned that we will see a dip in revenue, but we believe that by creating an even better dine-in experience, we’ll become busier and make it truly worth leaving the house for,” Jordan says.
“In the long run, we think people will be happier overall, and we’ll be able to provide the best experience possible.”
It’s not like est is alone in its struggle to maintain quality when it comes to deliveries, either. For about as long as delivery apps have been on the scene, they’ve come with their own unique challenges.
From attempts to mitigate food arriving cold to being plagued with one-star reviews from delivery drivers and customers alike, restaurant owners in Toronto have been upfront for some time about the grief that the delivery app era has brought, so I wouldn’t be surprised it more begin to take a note from est’s book in the near future.
est restaurant is located at 729 Queen East.
Fareen Karim. Jordan Diniz pictured on right.
