Main Street fights back

It's possible that a delivery co-op for restaurants would be cheaper than them using delivery services. They could all pool their resources and hire a single delivery driver who does everyone's orders.

A single unconnected node isn't as resilient as a diverse, interconnected, network. The internet gives indie entrepreneurs the infrastructure needed to generate the kind of network effects that can compete at scale with companies like Amazon.

Main Street businesses need to form online networks that enable them to compete with Amazon on price, convenience, and brand. E-commerce platforms Shopify, Lightspeed, Woocommerce, and Square, could enable this collaboration. For example: when one local retailer doesn't have a product in-stock, why don't they suggest another local shop that does? T... See more

We're not competing for a piece of the pie, we're fighting for the crumbs.

For resilience in the future, restaurants are going to need to master takeout and delivery. The problem is those delivery startups like DoorDash, Grubhub, and Skip the Dishes take up to 25% of a restaurant's revenue. Restaurant profit margins are already razor-thin (3%-5% is normal). It's predatory for venture-backed delivery companies to be taking... See more

Maybe what we need is a new wave of collaborative commerce.