Ok so maybe I’m stretching the truth a little bit and you can actually order a 2000LL Man’ouche from ZWZ but prices have been going up consistently over the past few years and people always felt a little bit cheated. But ZWZ have done a wonderful job at constantly reinventing themselves and their brand and we all love them for trying so hard. Also, their food is consistently high in quality and their service is usually impeccable, whether delivering or eating in.
If you had asked me about them yesterday, I would have only had praise for them. Imagine my shock when I learnt that they have added a 1000LL delivery fee to every delivery as of today. I’m no mathematician (I also don’t work for Booz) but based on some numbers that have been thrown around in front of me, I’m guessing they have more than 1000 deliveries a day, (a friend of mine even called them pretending to be a school student with a research project and got them to more or less validate that number). That’s $700.00 that they have made today. That’s $21,000.00 this month, going into the 13 year running franchise’s pocket. Even if you cut that in half, the number is still shocking.
My friends, some of which order Zaatar w Zeit every day, were all surprised and annoyed by the extra fee. One of the biggest complaints and interrogations I heard were regarding tipping. If they were already paying a delivery fee then why should they also have to tip the delivery man another 1000LL or 2000LL (the equivalent of $0.7 to $1.3).
I got in contact with ZWZ to get their comments regarding this matter. There was a lovely customer service employee who took the time to explain the move to me. According to this person the extra fee should help cover a number of things (some of which were confidential) including helping the delivery boys, who own their bikes, maintain them as well as finance the extra cost of having (apparently) recyclable packaging.
When asked about the possibility of people tipping the delivery boys less because of the delivery fee and the whole thing actually ending up being counterproductive, the ZWZ employee had no response. She did however reassure me that my, and others’ comments, would definitely be taken into consideration as always.
Again, I’m in no position to make that call, but I know that Zaatar w Zeit must’ve spent a hefty sum developing their mobile app and their online ordering site. Why spend a fortune delivering a service, buying recycled packaging, being the best in town, if you will then charge your customers for it? I didn’t ask for any of that. I asked for a yummy, warm meal delivered in a sensible time frame to my doorstep. And certainly not at an extra cost.
I suppose the most disappointing thing for me was the social media radio silence. ZWZ have accustomed us to being the kings of social media, communicating often and well, and owning up to whatever changes they bring about. At the time of writing, their latest post was about their Halloumi wrap and no mention of the new delivery fee was to be found.
I truly hope that this is all a big blooper and that Zaatar w Zeit will adress this issue with the maturity and honesty that they have accustomed us to.
