Seattle restaurant recovers $40K held by Uber Eats, demands refunds
Seattle restaurant finally gets $40K payout from Uber Eats
A Capitol Hill restaurant finally got 40,000 in sales paid out from Uber Eats after waiting almost 9 months. However, the owner says the situation still hasn't been fully addressed.
SEATTLE - A Seattle restaurant owner has finally received about $40,000 in withheld sales from Uber Eats, but she says the food delivery company still owes her more.
Joy Kim, owner of Kyoto Teriyaki, had been waiting almost nine months for the payouts. The funds—which accumulated from last November through earlier this week—were deposited after FOX 13 News intervened.
Demands for commission refunds, fees
Despite receiving the long-overdue funds, Kim argues the resolution is incomplete and is now considering hiring an attorney.
She is demanding a full refund of every cent of the 30% commission taken by Uber Eats during the withholding period. Furthermore, Kim says the nearly nine-month delay forced her to accrue additional interest and fees, which she believes the delivery platform should fully cover.
"They don't deserve it, I think," Kim said regarding the commission. "They were holding, like, eight months, almost nine months, they're holding the money."
Joy Kim, owner of Kyoto Teriyaki, 803 E Pike St, has been waiting since November 2025 for Uber Eats to disburse approximately $40,000 generated from nearly 1,500 orders.
Disputed claims over ID verification
According to Kyoto Teriyaki manager Jhoonho Kim, the payment stoppage came without warning.
"We didn't change any banking information and suddenly the payments stopped, and our money was being held," Jhoonho Kim said, adding that updating their information with Uber failed to resolve the issue.
An Uber spokesperson stated that the company attempted to verify Kim’s identity multiple times but was unable to reach her until a video verification call occurred last month. However, Kim's son disputed the company's account of their communication efforts.
"Even one time, they were like, 'Oh, we'll call you at this time.' They didn't call. They said we'll call you at 2 p.m. on this date. Nothing," Jhoonho Kim said.
Looking forward while serving the community
Uber stated that it will continue working directly with Kim to address any remaining concerns.
For the time being, the mother and son continue running Kyoto Teriyaki—a local staple that customers note is one of the few places nearby to get teriyaki—while advocating for other small business owners to stay vigilant.
"It's $40,000, a lot of money. It's been just weighing on her mind the whole entire time," Jhoonho Kim said. "She's been very resilient as always."
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.