An exploration of employees’ experiences of online food delivery: evidence from employee reviews

• Published in: International journal of contemporary hospitality management Vol. 36; no. 9; pp. 2909 - 2931
• Main Authors: Saydam, Mehmet Bahri, Borzyszkowski, Jacek, Karatepe, Osman M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 06.08.2024; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Brand loyalty; Employees; Flexibility; Food; Gig economy; Independent contractors; Information sources; Part time employment; Restaurants; Self employment; Sharing economy; Smartphones; User generated content; Wages & salaries; Web 2.0; Workers; Employee satisfaction; Gig work; Online food delivery; Online reviews
• ISSN: 0959-6119; 0959-6119; 1757-1049
• DOI: 10.1108/IJCHM-12-2022-1540

Purpose Online food delivery service has evolved swiftly and stretched the bounds of the catering business. In the gig economy, being a food delivery rider draws employees with the promise of flexibility and independence. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to explore the main themes shared in online reviews by food delivery riders and which of these themes are linked to positive and negative ratings. Design/methodology/approach The authors used 729 employee reviews posted on the Glassdoor website. In addition, they used content analysis to examine reviews of Uber Eats online food ordering company shared by food delivery riders on an online platform. Findings The results of this study include seven main themes: “earning,” “customers,” “orders,” “tips,” “car,” “flexible schedule” and “app” (navigation). Positive concepts are associated with “earning,” “orders,” “tips” and “flexible schedule.” Negative themes are linked to the “app” (navigation), “car” and “customers.” Practical implications Management should consider online reviews as employees’ opinions and voices. Specifically, management should provide financial support to employees for car maintenance, offer insurance for income stability and arrange training programs to enable them to use several tip-enhancing behaviors. Originality/value No research has been conducted using online reviews from an employment search engine to investigate employees’ experiences of online food delivery. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts using user-generated content from an employment search engine to explore employees’ experiences.