“On December 27, 2021, the Departments of Law filed an amended complaint against Grubhub in the Circuit Court of Cook County which contains new allegations that the food delivery company violated Chicago’s consumer protection ordinances by:  

• Deceptively and unfairly charging restaurants for customer refunds that Grubhub issues unilaterally, without the restaurants’ consent; 
• Deceptively advertising those consumers can “order online for free,” yet charging multiple fees on these delivery orders; 
• Falsely advertising that its monthly subscription service, Grubhub+, provides “unlimited free delivery,” while still charging subscribers a fee to complete each Grubhub delivery order; and 
• Deceptively and unfairly concealing that its restaurant search tool provides results that are not based solely on relevance to consumers’ search criteria; instead, rankings are tainted by undisclosed marketing fees.”

The City sued Grubhub on August 27, 2021. Since filing its original complaint last summer, the City has continued its investigation of Grubhub’s business practices, including by reviewing evidence provided by Chicago restaurants that came forward with new information. The City’s amended complaint includes additional business practices identified in the City’s investigation. 

If any Chicago restaurant or consumer wish to inform the City about their experience with meal delivery companies, they can do so by emailing mealdelivery@cityofchicago.org."

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