Is this not how every decision is make at a business? Yes it's more personal because of the word rent but "no we can't do this because the in the slowdown we wouldn't make enough sales to pay our employees."
I'm surprised people are siding with the restaurant owner here who's a millimeter away from just being a dick and making demands of a rando who he's not the boss of. Making "damaging my reputation" a thing just invents the very worst of copyright but for restaurants. The only thing objectionable about the interaction was the delivery app giving the impression they have a relationship with the restaurant when they don't.
Giving the impression they have a relationship with the restaurant is exactly why it's damaging the restaurant's reputation. The distinction you make doesn't exist.
The act of sending a dasher to a business they don't have an explicit relationship to deliver their food -- totally fine. The app not making it clear that the restaurant isn't partnered with DoorDash and that they're placing a pick-up order and delivering it to you -- not fine.
Making "damaging the restaurant's reputation" a thing is absurd in all aspects. By the restaurant owner's own logic picking up my own order without an insulated bad shouldn't be allowed -- after all what if I get home and the pizza isn't as good because it's cold? That could hurt their business. Utter nonsense. Do we now have to decide whether "it's fair" that something potentially hurts their reputation? Is a bad review fair if it's about the food, but unfair if it's about the wait?
What DD did is bad because they impersonated the other business, not because people got soggy fries. You stop getting to curate the dining experience the moment they walk out your door.
I'm surprised people are siding with the restaurant owner here who's a millimeter away from just being a dick and making demands of a rando who he's not the boss of. Making "damaging my reputation" a thing just invents the very worst of copyright but for restaurants. The only thing objectionable about the interaction was the delivery app giving the impression they have a relationship with the restaurant when they don't.