Just Eat to audit takeaways that use multiple online accounts

Online takeaway service Just Eat has begun an investigation into the practice of restaurants registering multiple accounts, which they can use to shake off poor customer reviews or as shelter from negative findings by health authorities.

An analysis by The Irish Times found dozens of fake restaurants, or restaurants using aliases on a website, with some businesses trading under as many as five different names. A Just Eat spokeswoman said a full audit is being carried out and that all the accounts concerned had been suspended.

Restaurants trading under multiple names can potentially avoid being singled out for having failed health inspections, as such findings would only be attached to one name of a company trading from the premises.

It may also be possible for takeaways with aliases to avoid paying tax as there is not likely to be any record of their existence with Revenue or the Companies Registration Office.

Negative reviews

Setting up an account under an alias also allows restaurants that have received negative user reviews to steer new customers to a different name without making any modifications to food, service or pricing.

In some cases restaurants trading under aliases offer completely different menus, with a kebab house, for example, offering offer a pizza menu from the same premises. But in most instances, the food and pricing is identical and only the name has been changed.

"The duplication of takeaway restaurant partners on the Just Eat website is not a practice we support and we are grateful that [The Irish Times] has brought it to our attention," the company said.

It said there were more than 1,700 takeaway restaurants on its database and it aimed “to review and monitor our listings on a regular basis”. It expressed “disappointment” that there “appears to be duplications”.

For each order, Just Eat charges a takeaway a commission of 12 per cent.