Iowa restaurants excited about new law restricting third-party ordering companies

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa restaurant owners hope a new law restricting third-party delivery companies means their food will get to their customers in the same condition it left.

The law, which went into effect Friday, means delivery companies can’t use a restaurant’s logo or menu without having a contract. It also means drivers won’t be able to deliver food with kids or pets in the car, along with a prohibition on smoking or vaping.

According to the Iowa Restaurant Association, owners can report the companies to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office or file a lawsuit. If the third-party company doesn’t remove the name or logo of the restaurant, it would face a $1,000 fine for the first offense and a $10,000 fine for a third.

“I think this is just going to be better for the customer,” Curt Bean, owner of Bop’s Pizza in Cedar Rapids, said.

Curt said one of the companies has had Bop’s menu on its website since it opened three years ago.

“If it gets cold or damaged, my name is on the box,” Bean said. “They’re going to think of me.”

Jessica Dunker, president of the Iowa Restaurant Association, said this issue has been going on for several years. She hoped this law would mean the third-party companies would stop using logos and menus, and the food would be delivered to the customers as it was intended.

“I have to give the mobile companies credit,” Dunker said. “They worked with us on this legislation. They’ve gotten better about providing local contacts that can help us get these things together.”

Curt said he was going to use a third-party app, but said it must appreciate his pies.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the customers I do,” Bean said.

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