St. Paul limits food delivery fees

St. Paul is limiting the fees charged by third-party food delivery services to 15% of an order, following Minneapolis and Edina.

The City Council approved an emergency ordinance at its Wednesday meeting to "avoid further harm to such valuable and important establishments in the city." Council President Amy Brendmoen said the move will protect local restaurants from price "gouging."

In December, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed a similar emergency regulation to help the city's restaurants survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Edina followed suit earlier this month.

Many restaurants have relied on apps such as DoorDash and GrubHub to facilitate ordering and delivery, sometimes paying fees as high as 40% to use those platforms.

St. Paul Council Member Rebecca Noecker said she'd like to explore a permanent ordinance to protect local businesses after pandemic emergency orders expire.

Shannon Prather