How often do you use restaurant ordering services? (DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, etc.)

could not imagine doing this

I did this for a little while in between jobs. You’d occasionally have some nice interactions with restaurant staff or customers (shout out to the stoner crew at KFC), but it was a pretty dismal experience overall and I’ve used these services very sparingly since, being sure to leave a decent tip. The last time I ordered something from one of these services, I had Covid and was starving for beef pho, which seems like a fair use.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I used these kinds of services multiple times a week. Drivers are delivering via motorbike instead of car, many restaurants have pre-cooked their foods. Resulted in faster delivery times and lower fees as a percentage of the total. Lots of discounts too, due to several competing services trying to get market share. Though I don't know how much of those discounts came out of what the drivers were getting vs. the app

Back in the US now and haven't used those services once

Several times a week. There are a lot of good restaurants in my neighborhood, so why wouldn't I

Because it’s faster to walk there and back, and then the restaurant gets all of your money instead of a predatory tech company taking a haircut from them, and an additional tithe from you

Ah there's the sanctimony that was sorely missing from the thread

The noise and emissions from the delivery mopeds is the scourge of inner cities. Inescapable. Because fuxors can’t walk a couple blocks…

Restaurants by me don't deliver; you can only get delivery through outside services. One of them is so fancy they don't even work with delivery apps, so there *IS* no delivery, only pick up. Which is pretty rich for a pizza place imo but they are a fancy pizza place, I guess.

That said I've probably only gotten delivery 4x in the last year or so. I'm just more likely to skip dinner or eat tuna out of the can.

Ah there's the sanctimony that was sorely missing from the thread

?? if the question wasn't asked in good faith, that's not on me.

Never done this, but I did get a coupon code for a year of free grubhub, and considered taking it, making a list of all the restaurants I might be interested in using, checking to see if they have their own delivery option, and only using ones that don't. Tab might still be open somewhere.

Is it sanctimonious to be creeped out by the number of ghost kitchens that operate actual storefronts in neighborhoods I walk through, where the storefront only contains a rank of app-operated lockers for drivers to pick up from?

Well, some of the restaurants I order from are 20 minutes' walk away, so it's not faster to walk there and back. The delivery people have motorized bikes that can get the food to me in five minutes. And I could actually be doing something at home while waiting for the food.

A lot of people don’t have one restaurant within two blocks of their home, let alone multiple options.

“Is it sanctimonious to be creeped out by the number of ghost kitchens that operate actual storefronts in neighborhoods I walk through, where the storefront only contains a rank of app-operated lockers for drivers to pick up from?”

lol I found myself driving to one of these in some desolate industrial zone a few months ago, it was the weirdest vibe, the sandwich sucked too

Question for those who get delivery, do you reheat the food?

Def prefer to eat it as soon as it comes Usually hot enough

I seldom need to reheat. It might be necessary when there's some kind of mix-up in the delivery process and the food arrives way late.

When ordering for a family of four it’s also kind of insignificant to tack on that extra $2 for “priority order” or whatever, although it’s possible it doesn’t actually make a difference.

Huh I've never had delivery food that wasn't too lukewarm or soggy, but I like hot & crispy food, I'm weird like that.

Btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFsfJYWpqII

I wish I could hate them, honestly, I do. I wish the restaurant got 100% of my money. But I wouldn't have many options, not even pizza or a burger or a burrito. All the delivery people are on apps now.

I will point out also, again, that restaurants that look like they have their own in-house delivery don't actually.

The local pizza place in town uses the ToastPOS system, but also uses Toast Delivery Services to deliver. Where do the drivers come from? Doordash! But you don't find that out until you've submitted.

The local taqueria advertises delivery on their website...but it's handled through FoodHub, another third party delivery service.

Only know of one restaurant around here that delivers via its own engine. We usually pick up though cos it's simply not cost effective for delivery unless ordering for a lot of people

This was actually xxxxxxxxposts way back lol

I'm thankful that our favorite local pizza place (the only place we get takeout from, although we pick it up) keeps it old school and actually keeps their own drivers on staff. They still take orders on the phone and their own homegrown website (although I think they accept orders on the apps too, which presumably involve other drivers).

And to be honest I love not talking to anyone. I don't want to talk to people, I feel stupid when I can't understand them or they don't understand me or they can't tell me if there's wheat in something.

Mom and pop Pizza places seem to be the most likely places to do it. I delivered for one years ago

Never! I’m so central in London terms that it makes no sense (same reason I never use Uber, 24/7 buses also available). The places I get take-away from are a) quality Japanese mini-chain 200m from my door that does £10 bento boxes b) Malay lunch place 150m from my door c) the Franco Manca by the tube station d) shawarma wraps from the Palestinian place across from the tube, and all of those I either stop in to order or phone directly to pick up in 10 minutes.

There once was a great local Chinese delivery place (Mayva) with a £5 minimum that I did use loads, but it closed years ago.

I don't use any of these, and don't plan to, but I am thankful for modernized online ordering systems, which I imagine share a backend with the apps. Also, the abundance of app delivery people has also made it so double-parking on a busy street to get take-out isn't a terrifying proposition anymore. Around here, you can usually pull up behind a line of cars, their hazard lights blinking, and if you time everything right you can hop out for your food and be back in your car before the line moves up. Generally, I'll find parking, but there are a few places where parking is just about impossible and it's easier just to role-play a DoorDash driver.

I imagine this thread is showcasing contrasts in urban vs. exurban/suburban/rural disadvantages more than anything else.

maria kinda wanted to do the box of food in the mail thing and i was against it. the local market is within walking distance and all i need is some chicken, a vegetable, and an onion and garlic and some spices to work my magic. don't need no food in a box. she just thought it would make life easier. during the pandemic? it must have been. probably that was the impulse back then but it just really seemed wrong to me. all the packaging and plastic and shipping....not for me. thinking about doing a local meatshare though. we have an old fridge in the basement now and we could freeze stuff down there.

I voted "I have done this occasionally but may never do it again" but I only did it once, back when this was still relatively new and I had a coupon for free delivery. Most of the food I order is either pizza (who generally have their own delivery people) or one of the places within walking distance from my house (a couple of restaurants on a street about 10 minutes walk away), in which case I just walk. I guess if I lived in a less walkable area I would do it every once in a while.

Never done it, can't imagine doing it.

I imagine this thread is showcasing contrasts in urban vs. exurban/suburban/rural disadvantages more than anything else.

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Thursday, April 4, 2024 12:31 PM (twenty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Somewhat, but even when we were in brooklyn and queens, the nearest takeout place we liked was often a 15-20 minute walk, and especially when you have little kids and especially when it's not great weather and you are coming from work late, that makes a difference.

yeah actually when i think of lots of takeout i think of cities. mostly chinese food. but obviously the suburbs are all about it.

in the suburbs i think of pizza delivery.

the mayor of the town i live in calls it "rurban". which is a dumb word. and technically the town i live in is called a "city" but only 17,000 people live here and that just seems like a big town to me.

DoorDash was a lifesaver when I was recovering from surgery.

I feel like an alien reading this thread. At least 2x a week for me. Nearest real restaurants are 10 min ISH walk but nothing I would want take out from so delivery it is. I didn't realise that it was so uncommon.

2x a week is nothing to be ashamed of. I don't judge anyone for how they choose to spend their money tbh

i think it makes perfect sense for some! especially city folks. but for me it would just be dumb. everything is close by car. i can eat in or pickup if i want to go that route. though i try to limit eating out cuzza $$$. still trying to come to grips with $15 burritos in life.

I'd be slightly curious how many people used to habitually order delivery in the old school way but then stopped when the apps took over.

Xpost - my mind was blow by how expensive restaurants had gotten when I was in Boston last week.

xp my parents still do this! They will normally get takeaway for us when one of us is home and whichever one is being ferried home in the car from the bus or train has to call the place to arrange an order for pickup. I think they use the apps for when they’re home and want something but if someone is out and due home they’ll call the place so they can ask the person when it’ll be ready.

We don’t really get takeaway much just cos there aren’t many places good enough for how much it costs. Our favourite place to eat locally delivers but honestly it’s so much better in person. Used to do it more in London. I usually find a reason to get something when I’m home though cos the Chinese places at home are so much better than where I live now.

Broke the habit of doing it once a week to never now. Live in an area with a number of choices 5-10 mins away. An opportunity for a good walk and to wait around for whatever it is I choose.

And also the bin Chinese place is gone

There is a very good goat curry place.

I wish there were decent Turkish and Caribbean options near me but if I am in Dalston or Holloway I often pick up something for dinner. Actually this is a note to self to go get a Roti Joupa fix from their new place in Holloway.

I feel like an alien reading this thread.

Different life circumstances, eating habits and economic priorities will obviously lead to make different choices. If it makes good sense for your needs and desires then there's no shame.

I'm in the 'UberEats curious' camp but never used it. We cook most nights and if we have a takeaway (curry, Chinese or pizza maybe once a month) we order directly from the shop.

Never done this.
In the spirit of 'I don't even own a tv' will say that I haven't eaten food in or from a restaurant this century. Closest I've managed is getting chips from the local chippy once every couple of months. I did not have to phone ahead for my order.

DoorDash was a lifesaver when I was recovering from surgery.

― c u (crüt)

Yeah my roommate got hit by a car in late 2022 and spent most of 2023 with severe mobility challenges. Hell, *I* spent half of 2023 with sciatica that I managed by biking/scootering even the shortest distances. A nice evening walk wasn't in the cards.

maybe monthly. we don't have takeaway much more than that and most places don't have their own *independent* websites, are more than a ten minute walk away, and with two hungry kids in the house walking all that way and waiting for half an hour while the food is made is not the best idea. we always tip the deliverer obv.

xp to steve i dunno! have never downloaded doordash to see what's available around me

one thing i hate are what i call skimmers - people who create a website based on a restaurant in the area and SEO it - it sits there routing orders from the web to the restaurant while taking a cut. the restaurant just sees online orders coming in i guess and doesn't know they're coming from a website that's impersonating their brand. often happens with immigrant owned places not savvy enough to have their own web presence. sometimes you'll google a place and it has 3 different websites that all purport to be the official one. just sucks. i think doordash was actually running this scam itself back in the day.

Yelp as well, also google has done it in the past, not sure if they still do.

I do this 1-2x a week probably. mostly when I’m working that day and am too tired to cook. the politics are questionable on balance but it’s great for lazy people with disposable income. modern life!

Doordash fucked me again. 3rd time. I ordered a Falafel Non-Pareil with Aeolian Cheese Bernaise sauce, major side of tenderized Purple Potato Jardiniere in Cocotte, minor side of Garnish Gnocchi. $100 tip. Guy was 4 hrs late and he saltburned my Civil War vet Great Uncle's grave

— The Heart of 2024 (@tupacdurex) April 8, 2024

I used'em in 2020 four or five times, stopped whe I realized I could get it faster and without fees by driving.

These days if I want to eat a restaurant meal I just go to the restaurant (I live solo).

i mean it makes sense if you are driving and you just call them five minutes before you get there.

There’s a company out there called mavi.io that allows you to order through the dashboard and uses the car’s gps to time your order being ready with your arrival.

just sucks. i think doordash was actually running this scam itself back in the day.

This is how door dash bullied restaurants onto its platform. I do recall though one pizza place they were doing this to where door dash were offering a discount over what the pizza place was selling pies for. The restaurant started putting in orders and getting paid more than it was shelling out.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262316/doordash-pizza-profits-venture-capital-the-margins-ranjan-roy

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I used to order for myself a cornucopia of items from a restaurant because I hated paying a $30 delivery charge/restaurant fee/tip for just nothing, and then would have to eat a mountain of food for a week which became very tiresome.

More recently I'm just ordering from delivery services when I have visitors and want to provide a dinner without cooking or having to go out at night. It's maybe a few times a year

Too often

how much are delivery fees in america? here it’s usually around 2$ with a 5$ minimum order.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262316/doordash-pizza-profits-venture-capital-the-margins-ranjan-roy

Ah there's the sanctimony that was sorely missing from the thread

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Lol only here would I have seen these results

I ordered a pizza using the Slice app last night. No delivery fees. Seems legit?

yeah Slice is legit, I've never used it but a few places I almost bought from use it

whoa these results, tracks with the discus I guess