When is the last time you had dinner delivered?
With today’s on-demand culture, delivery services are increasingly popular and more accessible than ever before. There’s no need to stick to your same old local pizza place when you want to eat out without leaving your home. Now, you can have food delivered from almost any restaurant. You can even order pre-assembled meal kits if you feel like prepping your own dishes.
With so much variety, the big question is: How can you choose the right meal delivery service? Read on and fear not. The following brief guide will help you determine the kind of service you should try based on your goals and needs.
Restaurant and Cuisine Variety
What do you want to eat?
One of the many benefits of meal delivery is that you’re spoiled with options. Want to eat at your favorite national chain without leaving your house? No problem; you can get it delivered. Are you in the mood for sushi from that new local restaurant across town? No worries; it can be delivered.
The trick is to find a service that offers the food selection you crave. Some delivery services focus only on pizza. Others present a blend of options from national chains as well as local dining hotspots. In fact, most national fast food chains have their own apps where you can order food and have it at your doorstep within minutes.
Food Kits Or Prepped Meals
Are you in the mood to cook, or do you just want to chow down?
It’s fun to cook your own food, right? That is, as long as you don’t have to worry about the inevitable logistics such as coming up with a recipe and grocery shopping.
There are services that take care of those pesky logistics for you, including the delivery of fresh, yummy ingredients right to your door. Those services usually require you to subscribe to a weekly or monthly delivery, but they offer free trials as well. You can take advantage of first-time discounts or free trials if you just want the food delivered once.
Meal Delivery Service Fees
Is food delivery in your budget?
That depends on many factors including the original price of your food, any additional service fees, and of course, your tip for the delivery person. Not all delivery services are created equal. Some, in fact, charge astronomical service fees, making it less feasible for people to order out regularly. A recent report shows that service fees are starting to impact how much customers tip their delivery drivers.
the key is to find a delivery service with fees you can easily pay. Certain services offset these fees by slightly marking up the individual items from each restaurant. You can also take advantage of membership perks and discounts that can help you cut back on regular service fees.
Decide how often you want to order in, either on a weekly or monthly basis. Then, calculate how much you are willing to spend on tips and fees per delivery. Finally, search for a delivery app or service whose fees closely resemble what you’re willing to spend.
Ready to Eat?
Now that you can narrow down your meal delivery options, do you see yourself eating in more often?
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