Lawsuit: Google Uses ‘Bait-And-Switch’ Tricks to Keep Customers Away from Restaurants’ Websites

A lawsuit filed by a Florida restaurant chain alleges that Google purposefully directs users to “unauthorized” Google-branded food ordering webpages where it uses restaurants’ names “without their approval,” a tactic the lawsuit describes as a “bait-and-switch.”

Ars Technica reports that Google is being sued by a Florida restaurant group called Left Field Holdings, which runs Lime Fresh Mexican Grill franchises. The lawsuit alleges that the tech giant is setting up unauthorized pages to collect food orders rather than directing users towards the restaurant’s website. The lawsuit alleges that Google employs “bait-and-switch” tactics by placing an “Order Online” button at the top of restaurants’ profile panels on Google Search, leading users to think they are ordering directly from restaurants instead of giving Google a cut of the action.

The order button sends users to a food.google.com page where users can select items from the restaurant’s menu and then order the food via third-party services like Postmates, DoorDash, and UberEats. As the order is not placed directly with the restaurant via their own website but with a third-party service like UberEats, the restaurant is losing a percentage of the sale. Third-party delivery serives take a commission ranging between 15 to 30 percent from participating restaurants.

The lawsuit alleges that Google “prominently features” restaurants’ names on its order page aiming to “deliberately confusing consumers into entering and interacting with its websites.” The lawsuit is seeking class-action status on behalf of other restaurants affected by Google’s ordering system.

A Google spokesperson said in a statement:

Our goal is to connect customers with restaurants they want to order food from and make it easier for them to do it through the ‘Order Online’ button.

We provide tools for merchants to indicate whether they support online orders or prefer a specific provider, including their own ordering website. We do not receive any compensation for orders or integrations with this feature.

Other tech companies have employed similar tactics to take a cut of online restaurant ordering sales. In 2019, Grubhub was criticized for purchasing domain names that resembled those of particular restaurants without the restaurants’ involvement. Last year, the city of Chicago sued Grubhub and DoorDash for “unfair and deceptive” practices.

Read more at Ars Technica here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com