The best food delivery services require just a few taps on your phone to bring meals right to your door. But there are so many food delivery services out there (and more popping up all the time), it’s getting more difficult to pick which one to use. That’s why we came up with this handy food delivery service guide, which lists the pros and cons of every major company.
Food delivery services have become very popular in recent years. A report from eMarketer said that 40 million Americans used a food delivery app in 2019. That number has likely risen exponentially in the past few months, due to the coronavirus pandemic. State and local regulations forced many restaurants and fast food outlets across the country to only serve takeout orders rise of the fast-food industry brought both convenience and affordability to local traditional restaurants. What was newly a convenience decades ago may be viewed as an inconvenience today, and third-party food delivery apps seek to challenge that.
With social distancing guidelines forcing some people to stay indoors, several apps have added options that let you specify where food deliveries can be dropped off so that you and your driver can stay 6 feet apart at all times. We’ve noted which food delivery services have added contact-free delivery options.
Grubhub
There’s a reason Grubhub is one of the first names to come to mind when you think of the best food delivery services. Grubhub partners with an incredible variety of restaurants, from nationwide chains to your neighborhood mom-and-pop diner, for a selection that can satisfy just about every food craving you can think of, all on-demand.
DoorDash
DoorDash now boasts operations in 4,000 cities across North America in Australia (though GrubHub can claim a more extensive reach). Featuring a wide range of cuisines from sushi to fast food, DoorDash features easy ordering (including a quick reordering of your favorites), with options to track your delivery, pick up your food or schedule your deliveries for the most convenient times.
Instacart
No one can live on fast food alone. If your menu calls for actual groceries, you may want to turn to Instacart instead of the other best food delivery apps. Instacart specializes in delivering groceries as well as household goods and — in the case of some stores — alcohol. (In fact, we consider Instacart to be one of the best grocery delivery services you can use.) The service boasts partnerships with more than 20,000 retailers across North America, and if your local store offers ready-to-eat meals, Instacart’s an option for getting those items delivered straight to your door. In fact, Instacart has just added a drop-off feature to minimize contact with the person delivering your groceries.
If you’re already using Uber to get around town, the Uber Eats app will have a familiar interface for ordering meals to go. Several other food delivery options specialize in certain areas. InstaCart lets you order from grocery stories, while services such as Delivery.com and GoPuff include snacks and drinks among other household items that they’ll bring to your door. If you don’t mind picking up your own food, ChowNow lets you place to-go orders at a variety of local eateries in your area.
Seamless
A mirror image of Grubhub. Extensive reachDelivers from both local restaurants and national chains support multiple methods of payment service from some restaurants includes delivery fees. Another one of the best food delivery services under the Grubhub banner, Seamless ferries around food from a wide variety of restaurants and cuisines, with full-menu options and without any extra fees, plus contact-free delivery if you prefer. As with GrubHub, there’s a $9.99-per-month membership if you want to save on delivery costs; otherwise using the app is free.
Customers can browse by food or location, and have their grub delivered at work or home; they can also arrange to have their meals ready for pickup. Though Seamless operates in a number of U.S. cities, it has the best coverage in New York City, partnering with everyone from big chain restaurants to neighborhood food joints to offer some of the best food on the go or delivered to your doorstep in the Big Apple.
Uber Eats
Uber’s entry into the food-delivery-app wars feels like a natural extension of its ride-sharing app, bringing the company’s on-demand touch to the world of food delivery. Uber Eats users can easily search for their favorite restaurant or discover new food places nearby.
Then, with just a few taps, users can place an order for immediate or scheduled delivery and track the order in real-time, just as if they had booked an Uber ride. You can pay either with a credit card or through credits on your Uber account, and from within the app, you have the option to tip the person bringing you your food as well as leave instructions for contact-free food delivery.
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