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Policy Analysis Project - 34948 - PLCY 8127 - 401 - Restaurant Food Delivery

Project

Our project proposal for Temple MPP students is to draft a policy paper analyzing the ways that the app-based delivery companies have affected restaurants in Pennsylvania, exploring the impact of commission and fee caps like the one in Philadelphia, and providing policy recommendations to support and protect the restaurant industry in the future.

Expected Deliverable: The final product is a policy paper providing information about the restaurant industry in Pennsylvania, and how it has been affected by app-based delivery services. We are interested in concrete recommendations about what is working, what challenges remain, and what policies can support struggling restaurants.

The policy paper should answer myriad of questions, such as: Are restaurants relying on delivery apps, and how is that affecting their profits? How did business change for Philadelphia restaurants when the commission cap became law? What was the effect on the restaurants’ bottom line? How do the financial situations of Philadelphia restaurants compare to restaurants in other parts of the state? What successes or challenges have been encountered in implementing and enforcing the commission cap? What lessons can be learned from other jurisdictions that have enacted local policy to protect restaurants?

Skills Required

Students will:

  • Monitor news and current events as quickly-evolving issues touching upon this topic continue to unfold during a public health crisis
  • Conduct research through interviews of stakeholders (restaurant owners), policymakers, and advocates to supplement the survey information, including asking for financial information about the business
  • Conduct desk research by finding written materials, such as investigative reporting and advocacy reports
  • Analyze data from survey results, in order to compile the data and identify unanswered questions
  • Review and evaluate documents provided by restaurants
  • Combine these varied data to understand and analyze the way that app-based delivery companies are affecting restaurants in Pennsylvania
  • Evaluate the efficacy of local policies setting caps on commissions and fees, by conducting a comparative analysis of Philadelphia with other parts of the state, and drawing lessons from other jurisdictions with similar policies.