In another time and place, a precocious young lady once clicked her heals and whispered, “there’s no place like home” and was instantly whisked home from a far-off city. And while travel is not quite that easy, yet anyway, pizza delivery can be by clicking an app on your phone.
During the COVID pandemic, the use of food delivery services in the United States has soared and many restaurants and consumers are taking full advantage of the many services now available. When it comes to pizza; takeout and curbside options are more popular than ever but for many, nothing beats restaurant-to-door pizza delivery service.
Signing up for food delivery service is as easy as following a yellow brick road and can be done on your cellphone in a matter of minutes. New subscribers can enjoy a variety of free offers and discounts depending on the delivery service app selected. In general, most apps operate the same way, but it may be prudent to check out reviews and other points such as tipping policies and satisfaction ratings. When in doubt, using your favorite pizzeria’s own delivery service (when available) may be your best bet. However, many of the more popular food delivery apps are safe to use and offer deals and other incentives that can save you money.
The top delivery service apps are (in no particular order): DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub and Delivery.com, with DoorDash being ranked the most popular. DoorDash, as an example, offers delivery service from over 310,000 restaurants globally, 80% of those restaurants being in the United States. The DoorDash app is easy to use with icons that help users select cuisine as well as price point, delivery time and overall user ratings.
DoorDash, like the other apps, offers diners a wide variety of restaurant options that range from large chains to local eateries. Full menus are available on the app as are the delivery and other fees and taxes. Most apps provide coupons and discounts. Overall, the increased cost to have your pizza delivered versus dining-in can ranges, but with most apps does exceed $10. Subscriptions to these delivery apps can also help save money. For instance, DoorDash offers a subscription service called DashPass, which gives free delivery and overall lower fees for a $10 per month cost.
DoorDash and other apps are a great and much needed option not only for larger pizza chains, but especially for smaller restaurants, those that are local and independently owned and may not be able to afford a hire a full-time delivery driver. Such is the case for Sam & Louie’s Italian Restaurant, a Midwest restaurant that specializes in NY Style Pizza. This family owned business relies on DoorDash to help them get their delicious New York-style pizza, calzones, pasta, stromboli and more to their hungry patrons without having to struggle with the added cost of hiring a delivery person, or sacrifice a staff member out on delivery during a busy time in the restaurant. It is a win-win-win solution for the pizzeria, the hardworking delivery person and the client.
As much fun as it might be to see flying monkeys delivering your pizza, nothing beats using your phone and having your favorite pizza pie delivered right to your doorstep. That is unless you are Toto-lly ready to tip in bananas.
