By reporter Steve Smalley
UPDATED 5/3/15- UPDATE: A follow up with the Seattle/King County Health Department raised questions about the need for health permits for private companies that deliver food. Since delivery firms employ an emerging business model, definitive rules are still under discussion, according to a spokesman for the agency.
However, it is required that these new delivery entities present themselves to the Public Health Department, explain their methods of operation to officials, and then it would be determined through existing rules whether permitting is required, if any. This would apply to permits for the business itself and for individuals who may need food handler cards.
There are repercussions for those who fail to contact Public Health: ?Businesses that are found to be operating without a permit where a permit is required are subject to closure and upon obtaining a permit, pay an added penalty,? according to a written statement provided to Magnolia Voice.
In the meantime, administrators within Health will endeavor to contact other municipalities across the country to gather information on how they regulate such delivery firms so officials here might make recommendations to lawmakers, according to the Health Department spokesman.
However, it is required that these new delivery entities present themselves to the Public Health Department, explain their methods of operation to officials, and then it would be determined through existing rules whether permitting is required, if any. This would apply to permits for the business itself and for individuals who may need food handler cards.
There are repercussions for those who fail to contact Public Health: ?Businesses that are found to be operating without a permit where a permit is required are subject to closure and upon obtaining a permit, pay an added penalty,? according to a written statement provided to Magnolia Voice.
In the meantime, administrators within Health will endeavor to contact other municipalities across the country to gather information on how they regulate such delivery firms so officials here might make recommendations to lawmakers, according to the Health Department spokesman.
EARLIER-The call comes into the restaurant asking owner Alex Serpanos why prices of Nikos Gyros delivery are higher than prices inside the restaurant? That?s a problem ? Nikos doesn?t have delivery. Nor are there any arrangements with delivery companies. That revelation was only the beginning.
?They said, ?Well, yes you do have delivery. We saw it online,?? explains Serpanos.
Revelation number two: Nikos doesn?t have a website.
?When you go on Google and you put in Nikos Gyros, there?s a website, and you click on it, and it says, NikosGyros.(net),? Serpanos reveals. ?It has our family history, photos of the restaurant, a menu, but not with our pricing. We searched a little bit and found it was a company called Order Ahead. We contacted the phone number and it was a company out of San Francisco. We have no agreement with this company. They were delivering our food.?
When she asked Order Ahead to take down the unauthorized website, they refused, according to Serpanos. ?I feel violated,? she said.
?It looks like ours. It smells like ours. It reads like ours, but it?s not ours,? she continues. ?It misdirects the customer. They think it?s actually our restaurant. [Customers] would call the number, place an order, then [Order Ahead] would deliver our food to the customer without our knowledge or permission. They are misrepresenting Nikos Gyros.?
Then came revelation number three.
?We found a delivery service called Postmates that had our name on it too, without our permission. I think this is happening to other businesses without them knowing,? she said.
The website ?app? for Order Ahead has listed over 400 Seattle restaurants.
Pursuing the matter further, Magnolia Voice contacted the Washington Restaurant Association, an umbrella organization for all similar establishments, including family-owned companies such as Nikos. Anthony Anton, Chief Executive Officer and former restaurant owner, had plenty to say about the situation at Nikos Gyros.
?This is identity theft,? he begins. ?A restaurant?s reputation is critical to their success. They have the right to choose when they partner with a company, particularly when they?re using your brand to their advantage. You have the right to protect your name, your honor, and your reputation. You can?t use people?s brand, or art, or liability without a relationship. That is critical to a restaurant?s success.?
Following his conversation with Magnolia Voice, Anton wasn?t finished. He called Order Ahead and spoke with their representatives who then agreed to take down the unapproved website.
?I don?t know how Google allows them to hijack my company,? Serpanos asked, after spending an hour on hold with the search engine company before hanging up.
The last word though came via Serpanos? phone call to the Seattle/King County Health Department who said they were investigating other delivery companies, but didn?t have Order Ahead on their list. We can assume they do now.
Anton summed up how many feel about Magnolia?s little Greek restaurant. ?Nikos Gyros is one of the landmarks of the community,? he proclaimed.
Attempts by Magnolia Voice to obtain comments from Order Ahead, Postmates, and other food delivery companies were unsuccessful.
?They said, ?Well, yes you do have delivery. We saw it online,?? explains Serpanos.
Revelation number two: Nikos doesn?t have a website.
?When you go on Google and you put in Nikos Gyros, there?s a website, and you click on it, and it says, NikosGyros.(net),? Serpanos reveals. ?It has our family history, photos of the restaurant, a menu, but not with our pricing. We searched a little bit and found it was a company called Order Ahead. We contacted the phone number and it was a company out of San Francisco. We have no agreement with this company. They were delivering our food.?
When she asked Order Ahead to take down the unauthorized website, they refused, according to Serpanos. ?I feel violated,? she said.
?It looks like ours. It smells like ours. It reads like ours, but it?s not ours,? she continues. ?It misdirects the customer. They think it?s actually our restaurant. [Customers] would call the number, place an order, then [Order Ahead] would deliver our food to the customer without our knowledge or permission. They are misrepresenting Nikos Gyros.?
Then came revelation number three.
?We found a delivery service called Postmates that had our name on it too, without our permission. I think this is happening to other businesses without them knowing,? she said.
The website ?app? for Order Ahead has listed over 400 Seattle restaurants.
Pursuing the matter further, Magnolia Voice contacted the Washington Restaurant Association, an umbrella organization for all similar establishments, including family-owned companies such as Nikos. Anthony Anton, Chief Executive Officer and former restaurant owner, had plenty to say about the situation at Nikos Gyros.
?This is identity theft,? he begins. ?A restaurant?s reputation is critical to their success. They have the right to choose when they partner with a company, particularly when they?re using your brand to their advantage. You have the right to protect your name, your honor, and your reputation. You can?t use people?s brand, or art, or liability without a relationship. That is critical to a restaurant?s success.?
Following his conversation with Magnolia Voice, Anton wasn?t finished. He called Order Ahead and spoke with their representatives who then agreed to take down the unapproved website.
?I don?t know how Google allows them to hijack my company,? Serpanos asked, after spending an hour on hold with the search engine company before hanging up.
The last word though came via Serpanos? phone call to the Seattle/King County Health Department who said they were investigating other delivery companies, but didn?t have Order Ahead on their list. We can assume they do now.
Anton summed up how many feel about Magnolia?s little Greek restaurant. ?Nikos Gyros is one of the landmarks of the community,? he proclaimed.
Attempts by Magnolia Voice to obtain comments from Order Ahead, Postmates, and other food delivery companies were unsuccessful.