COVID-19: City of Toronto and Ritual offer food businesses free online ordering system
đź•’ 2 min read
Delivery apps have been making headlines lately, but this week, Toronto-based Ritual stepped into the spotlight.
Mayor John Tory announced on Wednesday the City of Toronto has partnered with the takeout/pickup app to help local restaurants and other foodservice businesses implement online ordering for pickup and delivery on their existing websites and social media.
The new Ritual ONE platform offers businesses commission-free online ordering. And any restaurants, bars, cafes, and food shops that sign up for the service by June 1 2020, will receive it “free for life and will not pay any commission or monthly subscription fees on Ritual ONE orders,” and receive dedicated support during integration.
These perks also extend to existing restaurants on Ritual, and businesses registered or registering for the City’s newly launched ShopHERE program, including local independent businesses and artists (Note: standard credit card processing rates still apply).
Due to COVID-19, restaurants and other food businesses have been relying solely on takeout and delivery orders since mid-March. With Uber Eats continuing to charge high fees despite the Mayor asking that they be lowered, the platform will help businesses immeasurably.
The initiatives are a part of Mayor Tory’s Economic Support and Recovery Task Force’s short-term economic support and recovery plan for Toronto’s businesses. “I want to thank Ritual – a Toronto tech success story – for developing Ritual ONE and partnering with us at this critical time as we begin the work of rebuilding our economy,” said the Mayor. “It is through partnerships such as this that we can help our local businesses, especially the restaurant and food services sector, survive and help our entire economy thrive again.”
Ritual was founded in 2014 by Robert Kim, Ray Reddy, and Larry Stinson. Headquartered in Toronto and San Francisco, the app is now available in over 50 cities across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company laid off half its staff - approximately200 employees - in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.