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Prior to hearing the word “coronavirus,” you were either a food delivery service user or you weren’t.
Now that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is among us, food delivery services are looking more like an option to some people who don’t want to leave the house but are craving their favorite restaurant’s dishes.
Due to the virus, meal delivery services are implementing and offering no-contact delivery where meals are left on doorsteps.
In February, transactions across the country from meal services saw business as usual despite headlines about COVID-19.
For those who have never used it before, here is a guide to the food delivery services out there.
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This is the most popular food delivery app out there thanks to the large selection of restaurant options that it offers.
DoorDash has announced it is setting the default delivery option to no contact and is waiving delivery fees.
It has come out with several announcements related to COVID-19, including waving commission fees on pick-up orders for existing partners and allowing independent restaurants to join DoorDash with commission fees waived for 30 days. They have also announced they will pay up to two weeks of paid sick leave for drivers who are affected by COVID-19.
The app is easy to use and quick with options to pre-schedule deliveries and track deliveries once they are en route. Restaurants can be searched by cuisine, rating, cost and speed of delivery.
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DoorDash may be No. 1 in terms of transactions, but GrubHub is a fairly close second, which isn’t a surprise as it is in fewer U.S. cities.
The service was launched in Dayton during April of 2018 and has been growing customers locally ever since.
The online food delivery service has an urgent message on its website: “Together, we can help save the restaurants we love. Local restaurants are relying on us to help keep the lights on.”
The company has announced it is deferring commissions that it charges to be repaid by local restaurants at a later date.
With GrubHub you can search by cuisine, location, rating, price and delivery time. Be sure to note that some restaurants may have additional fees or order minimums that are required and don’t forget to check the promotions being offered within the app to earn cash back.
And in the age of COVID-19, best to go with the no-contact delivery option that GrubHub offers.
Worth noting is that GrubHub supports Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal and lots of other payment options if you don’t want to share your credit card number.
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If you use Uber for rides, this is an app that will be familiar.
Download the Uber Eats app and log in with your Uber information. It’s that easy. If you are familiar with the ride-share app already, this will feel like a familiar friend.
Like the other apps this has an option for no-contact delivery.
In the wake of the coronavirus, Uber Eats has announced it is waiving delivery fees for customers and that the food delivery service is allowing restaurants to have daily payments as opposed to the weekly payments that had been done in the past.
It is offering two weeks of paid sick leave for couriers affected by COVID-19.
Tracking the driver in real time like you can do on the Uber app is a very nice feature, so you know when you can expect your food.
Consider joining Uber Rewards to earn points both on the ride-sharing and food apps to apply to future services.
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