LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Uber Eats says it is pausing onboarding any new virtual restaurants in the Las Vegas area as it investigates claims of popular restaurants being impersonated on its platform.
After our reports on FOX5, Uber has now set up a way for impacted restaurants to notify them.
“They are stealing my name; they are stealing my food,” shared Joey Gonzalez, Owner of Brooklyn’s Best Pizza & Pasta with FOX5.
“God forbid if someone orders food from them under my name and they get sick, or something happens. I am liable,” contended Nick Palmeri, Owner of Gaetano’s Ristorante. From well-known locally owned restaurants like Esther’s Kitchen and Gaetano’s, to popular pizzerias like Manizza’s and Brooklyn’s Best Pizza & Pasta, FOX5 spoke with multiple restaurants who say their identities were stolen and food was sold under their name.
“Imagine my surprise Saturday evening when a guest called inquiring about menu items we don’t serve. She found us on the Uber Eats platform. That is interesting. I am not on Uber Eats,” explained Christina Martin, Owner of Manizza’s Pizza. When Martin uncovered the Manizza’s name was being used on Uber Eats, she went to the address listed for her restaurant and even used the app to order a pizza from the imposter.
FOX5 heard from the restaurant owner at that address. The owner told us, “We recently began acting as a ghost kitchen,” or an online-only restaurant, “filing orders for a third-party service” and “are discontinuing working with them immediately.”
When FOX5 first told you about this issue for restaurants across the Las Vegas Valley last Wednesday, we reached out to Uber Eats. They now tell us: “Any imposter restaurants we discover will immediately be taken off the app. We’ve also temporarily paused onboarding any new virtual restaurants while we carry out a review of all restaurants on Uber Eats in Las Vegas.”
Monday night, FOX5 checked back in with all the restaurants we spoke to last week. They say since our reports aired, they have not had further impersonation issues. Uber Eats also just set up this email address: [email protected] They want any Las Vegas area restaurants who have been impersonated on their app to contact them.
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