Not all food delivery services are created equal

Sallee Ann Ruibal
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 03:59:38 +0000
Arts & Life, Buckeye Bites, Dining, a&l, a+e, amazon prime now, arts & life, arts and life, buckeye bites, columbus food, delivery, eatstreet, food, grubhub, order up, postmates, tapingo, Uber Eats

Food delivery is an inevitable part of college life. Luckily there are plenty of services out there up for delivery. Credit: Mason Swires | Assistant Photo Editor

GrubHub, OrderUp and EatStreet

These three are the standbys for any hankering one might have for popular off-campus eats such as Apollo’s, Chop Shop and Curry & Hurry. Delivery fees are consistent across the three delivery services for any given restaurant are consistent. An added benefit of OrderUp, however, is the ability to track the delivery progress, so one knows exactly when to set the table.

UberEats and Postmates

UberEats and Postmates are almost a more premium delivery service, offering delivery from sit-down restaurants that previously weren’t part of the delivery scene. This includes Short North restaurants such as Basil, Marcella’s and Northstar Cafe. Pints of Jeni’s and Graeter’s ice cream can also be delivered straight to your door courtesy of these services. In addition, Postmates has a “general store,” which delivers student essentials such as pens, printer paper and cold medicine. UberEats was, however, much more enjoyable when Columbus was just a test market and the delivery fee was waived.

Tapingo

Tapingo might be known more for pre-ordering or delivering on-campus eats such as Oxley’s by the Numbers or Sloopy’s Diner, but the app also offers delivery for a small selection of off-campus eateries such as Pita Pit and Cluck-A-Doodle-Doo.

Amazon Prime Now

Amazon’s delivery service doesn’t include restaurants in the Columbus area for now, but it will deliver groceries and other household items — from vitamins to video games — within two hours. Amazon Prime, LLC has also submitted applications to the Division of Liquor Control, which will allow them to deliver beer and wine.