Grubhub,Watch Educating Elainia (2006) which describes itself in regulatory filings and marketing copy as the leading platform for restaurant pick-up and delivery orders, is trying its best to convince a courtroom that's not what it is.
In the face of a groundbreaking lawsuit from two former delivery drivers, Grubhub chief operations officer Stan Chia took the stand on Friday to say that actually Grubhub is not a food delivery company; it's "the premiere marketplace connecting diners with restaurants," according to TechCrunch's report.
SEE ALSO: Grubhub buys Yelp's Eat24 to tighten its grip on food deliveryAt issue in the trial is whether or not the two drivers should be considered more protected W-2 employees or independent contractors. Grubhub classified them as the latter, and they claim that was a violation of California employment law.
The point of this particular gambit is to satisfy a state legal precedent called the Borello test, which is used to determine proper employment status in the eyes of the law. Under its criteria, workers who are employed in a company's core business are more likely to be entitled to a more stable and robust job contract.
Thus, Grubhub must make the case that delivering food is not its core business, contrary to what much of its advertising and financial reports say.
It is true that Grubhub only got into the food delivery game in 2015 after a decade as an online ordering platform that only facilitated pickup and deliveries handled by restaurant staff. But it's doubled down on its own delivery operation since then, absorbing other major services like Seamless and Yelp's Eat24 along the way. As of today, it is by far the biggest food delivery service on the market.
A Grubhub spokesperson said in an emailed statement that delivery is a "significant component of the experience" for most of its customers.
"Grubhub works with its restaurant partners in one of two ways. We process orders for restaurants that employ their own delivery staff -- as is the case with a majority of our restaurant partners -- and we offer delivery for restaurants that don't operate their own service in-house," the spokesperson said. "In both cases, delivery is a significant component of the experience; while diners do have the option of picking up their food directly from a restaurant, most diners choose to have their meal delivered."
Chia also argued in court on Friday that most drivers enjoy the flexibility of the independent contractor set-up, to which the plaintiff's lawyer countered that Grubhub is facing another similar lawsuit involving more than 7,000 drivers.
Much is riding on this trial. It's the first time that a California court has tackled the question of whether the legions of loosely employed workers of the so-called "gig economy" should have a right to W-2 employment status, which would make them eligible for benefits like mileage reimbursements and health insurance. The court's decision could have implications for the rest of the on-demand tech industry as well.
While it may sound brazen, Grubhub's case is not the first time this shape-shifting argument has been used in a bid to shield on-demand companies from expensive labor regulation. Uber argued that it's an “information society services provider” rather than a taxi service when confronted with similar charges.
Previous：GeForce RTX 2080 Ti & 2080 Mega Benchmark
Next：State of the Unions
Twilight of the Racist Uncles
Dressing for Others: Lawrence of Arabia’s Sartorial Statements by Isabella Hammad
In Search of William Gass by Zachary Fine
Chantal Joffe’s Many Faces by Olivia Laing
Shave the Billionaire
Balzac and the Reassembly of France by Jérôme David
Redux: The Geography of Self and Soul by The Paris Review
MrBeast sued his restaurant partner for $10 million. They're suing him back for $100 million.
Who’s Afraid of Hostile Love?
Soon by Jill Talbot
Underwriters of the World, Ideate!
X's @Music posts Ed Sheeran photo to celebrate new handle. Users aren't impressed.
The Artist
Best Nintendo Switch deal: Get Super Mario Odyssey for $20 off
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Graphics Performance Revisited: 44 GPUs Tested
White People Must Save Themselves from Whiteness by Venita Blackburn
Easter in Sri Lanka: Today Is Loss That Isn’t Loss by Vyshali Manivannan
Best Solawave deal: Get a skincare wand bundle for $52 off
Begone, President
As Certain as Death and Taxes by Souvankham Thammavongsa
What to expect from Instagram's glitzy portrait studio at the Vanity Fair Oscar PartyHow to predict the president's next bogus tweet: Just watch Fox NewsDonald Trump bows out of White House Correspondents dinnerDonald Trump bows out of White House Correspondents dinnerPhotos show Venice underwater after highest tide in 50 yearsChina's capital is replacing tens of thousands of taxis with electric cars to fight pollutionProtesters played Christine Blasey Ford's testimony outside dinner honoring Brett KavanaughThe Oscars red carpet was its own live action 'Beauty and the Beast'Apple finally reveals when its pricey 'cheese grater' Mac Pro will become availableHulu + Live TV is now $55 so you might as well just get cable17 perfect gifts for a zero waste holidayHulu's ‘Dollface’ depicts female friendship at its most basic: ReviewPhotos show Venice underwater after highest tide in 50 yearsTesla Model 3 and Model S just aced their report cards againMove over TikTok: Disney+ is #1 in the App StoreThe dreaded 'someone is typing' dots have entered the impeachment dramaKristen Stewart turns comedy star in 'Charlie's Angels': Movie reviewAurora's selfHulu + Live TV is now $55 so you might as well just get cableBarack Obama and Malia had an awesome night out in NYC and looked awesome doing it The cult hit 'Desert Bus' makes its triumphant return in virtual reality Wine gifts under $20 YouTube faces an existential threat as it moderates its worst videos Resurfaced footage shows Katie Couric saying Matt Lauer 'pinches me on the ass' Activists say their protests against corruption are being erased from Facebook Facebook's Mentorship and Support tool helps users reach their goals Waze adds new voice command features and a motorcycle mode WhatsApp gets improved YouTube integration YouTube deleted 150,000 kids videos that were targeted by child predators Apple joins the foldable smartphone race with new patent How a violent volcanic eruption in Bali could cool the climate 'Game of Thrones' actually gets pretty funny if you use the wrong subtitles Here's Megyn Kelly response to Matt Lauer's sexual harassment How to download the macOS High Sierra security patch Google and YouTube are simply too big for advertisers to boycott Tom Holland shared a top secret 'Infinity War' poster and his reaction is priceless Apple iPhone X is turning into the big risk that paid off Bitcoin skeptics are getting louder and it's hard not to listen Senator Mark Warner demands answers about the Uber hack Microsoft Office apps are now available on Google Chromebooks
2.5702s , 10130.7421875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Educating Elainia (2006)】,Unobstructed Information Network