There's Fast Food And Then There's FAST Food: Traditional Delivery Vs. Speedy-Food-App Delivery
If you like having food delivered so that you can spend more of your lunch break actually eating than waiting in line to order, you definitely have a plethora of choices now. Being able to call in or order online to get food sent to your office is easier than ever, especially with the introduction of speedy food delivery services, those third-party services that promise to bring you full meals in a few minutes. However, should you really go with these services, or should you stick to arranging for delivery yourself from one restaurant? Looking at what these options offer will help you decide.
Timing
The third-party delivery services popping up in cities often deliver meals very quickly, so if you need to order at the last minute and need food delivered rapidly, the third-party services may be best. However, many restaurants have their own rapid-delivery guarantees that don't take much longer. Plus, by ordering directly from a restaurant, you know that the food was most likely freshly prepared just before it was sent to you.
Potential Food Safety Issues
That preparation time brings up another issue -- food safety. When you order food directly from a restaurant, chances are the kitchen is cooking up your food right then and delivering it once the dish is prepared. Since restaurants generally have a delivery radius to ensure your food doesn't sit for a long time in a car, you're most likely going to get some very fresh food.
With the third-party delivery services, though, there's an issue. KXAN in Austin, Texas, reported in January 2016 that health inspectors were eyeing these delivery services because many of them stocked pre-prepared meals in coolers, waiting for a call. So a few drivers might have a variety of meals waiting to go, and when you order, the driver who has one of those meals brings it to you. That means the meals are not necessarily fresh. Plus, the cooler that the driver stores the meals in has to be working properly. If it's not, then the food could be sitting at dangerous temperatures before it's delivered to you.
Variety
The variety you have when choosing a meal is almost the same no matter which delivery option you choose, with a couple of exceptions. One is that, with a third-party speedy-delivery app, you may have more menus at your fingertips initially. However, there's nothing stopping you from checking out those restaurants' menus on your own by visiting the restaurant websites.
Depending on how the third-party delivery service is set up, you might be able to get food delivered from places that don't normally deliver on their own; in that case, the third-party companies might offer more variety. However, you might also find that the number of dishes you can order is greatly restricted with the third-party services (in other words, if you called a restaurant that normally delivers, you'd have access to their full menu, but if you went through a third party, you might have only a few choices to choose off the menu). If you want to be sure you can choose from all of a restaurant's menu options, contact and order from the restaurant yourself.
Customization
Ordering directly from a restaurant wins this category. When you order, be it online or via phone, you can have the restaurant customize the dish. Whether it's salad dressing on the side or preparing a dish with substitutes for foods you're allergic to, you can deal with the restaurant directly and have the dish modified.
You don't always get that level of customization from a third-party service. In fact, if you use one of the services that has meals in coolers waiting to go, you might not get any customization at all.
It's worth checking out the menus available through third-party services, but keep some of those restaurant-specific menus bookmarked as well. You may find that going straight to the source -- or restaurant -- suits your needs better.
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