A popular Liverpool takeaway has decided to stop using Just Eat after the "astronomical fees" left it struggling to make a profit.
Wok On in Anfield has been open for nearly two years and prides itself in sourcing fresh produce from local businesses and wholesalers based in Liverpool.
Despite having grown a loyal customer base over the years, manager Rebecca Kimmance, 38, said the fees charged by Just Eat have been eating into their profits, prompting them to put a stop to it all together.
The 38-year-old said she appreciates the platform Just Eat gives to takeaways which helps to get new businesses off the ground.
However, Wok On have decided to remove their business from the site entirely and instead focus on growing their own app and website, which has started to grow a good following of its own.
Rebecca said: "What we were finding with Just Eat was that the commission they charge was taking away the profit we were making.
"It is difficult to build a business up. Any money that we were making we were putting back into the business.
"We decided to develop our own app and website and we are finding that more people are ordering through them now.
"In order for us to develop this further we've decided to focus on this and come off Just Eat."
Rebecca added: "They do bring you a lot of custom and I think in this day age you would find it difficult to build a takeaway up without Just Eat.
"They give you a great platform but they were taking away our profits.
"They take 20% on a normal day and on Tuesday's they do a deal called Cheeky Tuesday's where customers get 20% off.
"That means I'm losing 40% of the cost on a noodle box, it's astronomical. It was taking away any profit margin."
A spokesperson from Just Eat disputed this and said restaurants using Just Eat marketplace "pay a flat rate commission of 14% plus VAT."
Just Eat said Cheeky Tuesdays is is "a weekly, optional restaurant-funded initiative" which restaurants can choose whether they want to be a part of.
Wok On are popular in the Anfield area, with customers writing rave reviews about their salt and pepper chicken, noodle and rice boxes.
Rebecca said: "I'm a strong believer in keeping it local and supporting businesses in Liverpool.
"It's all about the quality of the food and keeping it fresh, none of it is bought frozen."
A Just Eat spokesperson said: "Just Eat is only successful if our restaurant partners are successful.
"We believe our commission rates are aligned with the value we provide to our partners and have a track record of helping restaurants prosper.
"Through our 30 day COVID-19 emergency support package, we gave over £11million worth of support to the many thousands of independent restaurants we work with across the UK. This included a 30% commission rebate and removal of all commission on collection orders, helping restaurants to maintain their operations and support their teams at this challenging time.
“We're committed to adding value to our partners’ businesses on a daily basis, and many grow and flourish through working with Just Eat.”
You can visit the Wok On website here or follow them on Instagram here.
