SAN ANTONIO — At a time where we can have it all at our fingertips, some are realizing that comes at a cost.
On Wurzbach Road, Sichuan House is one of many restaurants trying to stay afloat.
"The first week it was a little scary," the restaurant's owner, Kristina Zhao recalled. Like everyone else Kristina Zhao had to close her dining room and look into delivery options, so she turned to third party delivery apps but that quickly ended when she saw how much these companies charge in commission.
"Somewhere between 10-30%," Zhao said.
Third-party delivery apps like UberEats and GrubHub take a good percentage for their commission leaving small businesses barely able to make ends meet. Earlier this week, the Texas Restaurant Association posted on their Facebook page encouraging people to think twice before using those apps.
So instead Zhao turned somewhere else, a local app called Re-turnz. The phone app allows a driver to return the unwanted items you've bought online and brings them to the post office for you.
But instead, Zhao, saw a new opportunity.
"Our employees registered with Re-turnz as drivers and then I'm using Re-turnz for delivery," she said with a laugh.
Zhao worked with the local app's cofounder Brandon La Lanne so her employees can become drivers for his app and instead of returning packages they're delivering food deliveries to her customers.
"With the app and with her strategy she's created a very sustainable way to you know recoup those lost profits," La Lanne told KENS 5 on Thursday,
The best part? The restaurant owner gets to decide what commission the app gets and what's even better? The driver get a cut.
"Seventy percent goes on to the driver," said.
Zhao is able to indirectly continue to pay her employees all while keeping business open and local.