Most Americans have taken to skipping the long trip to a restaurant and are instead choosing to order in so they can enjoy their pad thai in the comfort of their living room. Unfortunately, casts can seem to rack up from this, and although we save money and time, many are starting to wonder if these savings are worth it. If you’re amongst these numbers and are still figuring out which you’d prefer price-wise: here’s a quick breakdown of the differences!
Cost Of Food
Although we’d hope that restaurants would keep the same prices on food apps as they do in their restaurants- this isn’t always the case. More often than not, if you’re ordering a gyro or tacos, you’ll notice that the cost is raised by five to ten percent. This cost is from the restaurants trying to win back some of the commission they have through these sites to deliver their food. Unfortunately, this fee gets pushed off onto the customer.
Tips and Fees
Both in person, and ordering delivery, will require a tip. This charge isn’t a fee that changes across platforms. Other prices, like driver surcharges and whatever miscellaneous costs the driving app decides to pile on, will add up. Often it means adding ten to fifteen dollars total to your order, even if your order was only ten to fifteen dollars, to begin with. This price is a considerable upcharge and part of the reason many decide to go pick up their food themselves.
Time Spent
If you’re eating in a restaurant, you’re going to be spending a lot more time waiting, driving, and eating than you would at home. If you order delivery, you can put in the order and go about your life in your house doing whatever you want. You could even call while you’re away from home as long as you’re sure you’ll get there before the delivery time. In terms of minutes and hours saved, you get to claim a lot of them if you’re getting delivery. Time is money, and this should be considered when trying to pick the best option for yourself.
Transit
If you’re out of town looking at Charlotte houses for sale and don’t have your car, you could have to pay for rideshare to take you to and from a restaurant. This cost can rack up quickly depending on the area and time of day and overpower how much you save not ordering in. If you don’t have a car and aren’t celebrating something special- or eating out with friends- it’s a better idea to save the money and order in.
Memberships
Unfortunately, if you want to save money with the food, you have to pay a monthly fee to keep up the membership. GrubHub, Postmates, UberEats, and nearly every other food delivery app offers a subscription plan that claims to lower your monthly costs. Instead of paying a five dollar service fee for every order, you can pay twelve dollars a month to wipe that fee off of your orders. Of course, this will only save you money if you order from the app more than twice a month.
This fee is something that doesn’t exist when it comes to eating out.
