Yuhan Liu will present work describing the ecosystem of independent restaurant delivery platforms in the US.

In this project, we describe the web of hundreds of independent food delivery platforms in the United States that provide alternatives to mainstream ones, such as Uber Eats and Doordash. We examined 442 “indie” platforms’ websites and mobile apps to better understand where they distributed, why they were created, what technologies they use, and how they interact with different communities. We learned that many indie platforms pre-date mainstream platforms and most rely on third-party software to run their operations. We identified several business practices that differentiate indie platforms from mainstream platforms. However, we also discovered that about 20% of them are no longer in service due to financial hardship, lack of reliable workforces, and more.  This study provides insights that can further future HCI research into the emergence of public-interest technologies for local food delivery.In this project, we describe the web of hundreds of independent food delivery platforms in the United States that provide alternatives to mainstream ones, such as Uber Eats and Doordash. We examined 442 “indie” platforms’ websites and mobile apps to better understand where they distributed, why they were created, what technologies they use, and how they interact with different communities. We learned that many indie platforms pre-date mainstream platforms and most rely on third-party software to run their operations. We identified several business practices that differentiate indie platforms from mainstream platforms. However, we also discovered that about 20% of them are no longer in service due to financial hardship, lack of reliable workforces, and more.  This study provides insights that can further future HCI research into the emergence of public-interest technologies for local food delivery.

The CITP Works in Progress (WiP) Seminar meets weekly during the semester. This reading group is open to any Princeton affiliate, including faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students.

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