A Manhattan-based online food delivery service has launched a new ad campaign taking potshots at the notion of cooking at home.
What do you think of Seamless' Westchester ad?
- Love it.
- Hate it.
- Don't understand it.
- Couldn't care less.
- Agree with the County Executive.
- Other
The ads by Seamless are particularly harsh on Westchester County and New Jersey. "How New York Eats" is the takeout company's newest take on food -- using such slogans as: "Cook when you’re dead or living in Westchester" and "Cooking is so Jersey."
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino found a bright side to the ad campaign.
“The ad seems to agree that Manhattan residents must move to Westchester to be able to afford a home that has a kitchen big enough to cook in,” Astorino joked. “And while Westchester residents love to cook and enjoy their homes, unlike their cramped counterparts in Manhattan, we are also spoiled by the abundance of top quality dining experiences all throughout our county.”
Seamless is especially popular among younger New Yorkers on the go, according to restaurant industry and ad experts. Users can visit its website or app, find a nearby restaurant, and select a few dishes for delivery or pickup.
Seamless handles more than 200,000 daily orders. Company spokeswoman Abby Hunt told WNYC News that number shows the service provides value: "It all really comes down to the orders we send the restaurant's way."
Hunt did not return messages left by Daily Voice for a comment.
Seamless bills itself as a service offering "food from thousands of the best delivery and takeout restaurants in 900-plus cities across the United States and London."
Some restaurant owners have complained that Seamless takes commissions between 14 and 20 percent from every order and requires extra fees for advertising and credit-card transactions.
Other restaurant owners found the anti-home cooking content of the attack ads tacky.
Chef Peter X. Kelly of Xaviars Restaurant Group -- which owns popular restaurants in Westchester and Rockland counties -- reacted: "Even though I encourage guests to allow me and my restaurants to cook for them, there should always be a time when families gather around a dining table at home to share a meal and conversation no matter the level of cuisine."
In 2013, according to Bloomberg Business, Seamless merged with its largest competitor, GrubHub.
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