"Delivery Drivers, Please Do Not Rush the Food"...Why Did the Owner Post a Warning?

"Complained About by Customers for Ruining Food"

“Do not rush me at the store before I signal that the (cooking) is complete. I am a customer who pays delivery fees to the drivers.”

It has come to light that a restaurant posted a warning sign with harsh language aimed at delivery drivers, stating, “If you are caught swearing, I will skin you.” Recently, a post titled “A Delivery Driver Warning from a Certain Store Owner” was uploaded on the self-employed online community “Apeunikka Sajangida.”

A warning notice written and posted by a restaurant owner.
[Photo by Self-Employed Online Community ‘Apeunikka Sajangida’ capture]

The restaurant owner emphasized through the warning, “I am speaking to the drivers,” and stressed that he considers himself a customer to the drivers. He continued, “I don’t want to cook while watching the drivers’ moods,” and said, “I have no obligation to match the drivers’ schedules. If you have complaints, don’t come to our store. We keep receiving complaints from customers because the food gets ruined while trying to meet the drivers’ timing.”

The claim is that delivery drivers who arrive before the ‘cooking complete’ notification rush the kitchen, causing the food to be ruined and leading to continuous complaints from customers.

The owner also said, “Do not swear at me when leaving the store. If you swear at me again and I catch you, I will skin you. This is a warning.” The author did not disclose when or where the warning sign was photographed.

Some self-employed individuals criticized the owner, saying the expression was excessive and that he seemed out of his mind, but many others expressed understanding. Comments from self-employed people who had similar experiences were also posted. They pointed out, “Many drivers come and rush us asking when the food will be ready even though we haven’t pressed ‘ready’ yet,” and “Some get angry asking why it’s not ready yet and tell us to find another driver.”

On the other hand, some delivery drivers rebutted, saying, “The estimated cooking completion time is not just for show,” “You have to see what it’s like when the food is ready but there’s no rider to deliver it,” and “Most delivery drivers are locals, so such behavior drives away potential customers.”

Meanwhile, the government plans to actively implement measures from the second half of this year to alleviate the management difficulties of small business owners by providing financial support and reducing the burden of five major fixed costs including delivery fees, rent, and electricity bills. Discussions involving government departments, delivery app operators, and stakeholders in the food service industry will be held to devise win-win solutions for each sector to ease economic burdens. Delivery fees borne by business owners will be newly supported only for small-scale self-employed businesses.