In an attempt to put a cap on the greed of food delivery app companies, who are charging restaurants as much as 35% per order, the City of Denver placed an official cap on delivery app fees back in October.

It was a measure meant to protect the small restaurant owners of the city, who are already struggling to keep their doors open through COVID restrictions — a step that many other major cities throughout the US have already taken. These businesses can’t afford to lose over a third of their revenue per delivery order, because almost everyone is ordering delivery. The app fees were dragging Denver’s businesses down, so the city stepped in and capped those fees at 15%.

And in response, DoorDash, a company whose revenue is almost $2 billion, added a “Denver Fee” of $2 to every order.

“Denver has temporarily capped the fees that we may charge local restaurants.” DoorDash wrote in a statement to BusinessDen. “To continue to offer you convenient delivery while ensuring that Dashers are active and earning, you will now see a charge added to Denver orders.”

It’s a big middle finger in the face of Denver, all of our local restaurants and the people who live here. Essentially, this “Denver fee” forces Denver’s residents to pay for the revenue that the City of Denver isn’t allowing these apps to take from local businesses. It shifts the burden of cost from the restaurant to the customer.

And for what? These delivery app services are a leech on local businesses. They’re a middleman that few need, but that many utilize. They are greed mongering parasites who capitalize on laziness, and skim off the top of others’ successful restaurant enterprises.

All of which is to say: boycott DoorDash. Fuck those people and their “Denver fee.” It’s better to order directly from a restaurant anyway, as many of them offer their own delivery services these days, and all of the money you spend will go directly to supporting locals and local businesses. Or, hell, just order for pick-up and get out of your house for a few minutes — you’ll save a few extra bucks and get some fresh air.

But, if you have to order from a delivery app, if there’s no other choice, no alternative option, use Uber Eats or Grubhub or any of the other delivery apps that aren’t being such greedy jackasses as the team over at DoorDash.