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I guess I just never "got" why ordinary people want to use meal delivery. Aside from things that have typically been delivered, like pizza and Chinese, it just

I guess I just never "got" why ordinary people want to use meal delivery. Aside from things that have typically been delivered, like pizza and Chinese, it just seems odd. Who wants to eat fast food that's been sitting for a half an hour? Even sit down food. Most of it doesn't travel well (soggy fries or bread), which is one area where pizza or Americanized Chinese takeout doesn't suffer. And then the cost. A McDonalds meal is $10 as it is so you're going to add a couple more bucks for the convenience of not having to get it, plus a tip to the delivery person? Sure, I can understand the spending $20 to not have to take a lunch or to stay later at work and eating dinner there. But for the most part it's ridiculous. I mean there's even a delivery order station at the 7-11. Who's getting a Slurpee delivered? The local neighborhood Facebook group is full of drivers bitching about not enough jobs to go around, poor tipping, not making enough on their routes... and then you have the people ordering food and complaining about slow service, stolen, incorrect, or missing orders, and whatever else can go wrong.

cassepipe 3y ago
I think this is because a lot of people don't have basic food preparation skills. Basic stuff takes them hours, they are poorly equipped and would generally go out for food even though they'd rather stay at home. Meal delivery solves that equation for them : Now they can eat their overpriced low grade food from the comfort of their home and for some people, it seems that it is something worth paying for. This is how my roommate says he does not have money for the shared internet bill but often wastes from 10 to 15 euros for poor quality food :D There are also maybe structural reasons ? I am thinking it may be aggravated if you live in a American city and you need to take your car out to the business/fast food zone in order to get prepared food. I guess from that point of view, you're thinking that at least you are saving on gas/parking ?
- nunez 3y ago
  I was that person. I hated cooking because every meal I could find that looked interesting (I.e. more than basic staples) took forever to make (>2 hours) and left a ton of leftovers that I wasn't guaranteed to eat (because shopping for a single person or, now, two people sans kids, is time-consuming). Every Plate, followed by Blue Apron, changed that entirely for me. I'm so glad that my wife suggested this idea. (She also suggested we get an Echo when they were beta. It was an incredibly left field suggestion from her since she's not into tech, really. Now we have one in almost every room of the house!) Every meal they send takes less than an hour, doesn't require any advanced culinary skills (or ingredients, even; they send almost everything you need), and always come out insanely good. I've had meals at highly-rated restaurants on guides like Eater that rivaled Blue Apron meals we cooked. I still love going out to eat and, by default, will do that. But I don't mind cooking anymore. Sometimes I even enjoy it. That's a huge 360 from where I was five years ago. Sorry if this reads like an ad; I promise it isn't.
- dzhiurgis 3y ago
  I think in US and JP it’s cheaper than cooking yourself
r00fus 3y ago
Your examples seem very individual sized. For a family it makes a lot more sense to occasionally DoorDash if you simply don’t have the time or energy to cook or even take the family out. It’s expensive.
nunez 3y ago
It is very nice to be able to have food magically delivered to you while you're in your pajamas winding down for the evening. Or when you're working really hard on something and getting or making food would be a distraction. Or, in the case of NYC's shadow kitchens, where you literally can't pick up the food by any other means.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
xboxnolifes 3y ago
I order food that delivers reasonably well. Don't order burgers, don't order fries, don't order things things that'll be ruined from a rough ride. Why is having Chinese delivered okay, but not other food? There are lots of dishes that follow a similar format to Chinese food that delivers well. I'm had plenty of good results from ordering Chinese, Indian, Jamaican, and certain Mexican dishes.

cassepipe 3y ago

I think this is because a lot of people don't have basic food preparation skills. Basic stuff takes them hours, they are poorly equipped and would generally go out for food even though they'd rather stay at home. Meal delivery solves that equation for them : Now they can eat their overpriced low grade food from the comfort of their home and for some people, it seems that it is something worth paying for. This is how my roommate says he does not have money for the shared internet bill but often wastes from 10 to 15 euros for poor quality food :D There are also maybe structural reasons ? I am thinking it may be aggravated if you live in a American city and you need to take your car out to the business/fast food zone in order to get prepared food. I guess from that point of view, you're thinking that at least you are saving on gas/parking ?

nunez 3y ago
I was that person. I hated cooking because every meal I could find that looked interesting (I.e. more than basic staples) took forever to make (>2 hours) and left a ton of leftovers that I wasn't guaranteed to eat (because shopping for a single person or, now, two people sans kids, is time-consuming). Every Plate, followed by Blue Apron, changed that entirely for me. I'm so glad that my wife suggested this idea. (She also suggested we get an Echo when they were beta. It was an incredibly left field suggestion from her since she's not into tech, really. Now we have one in almost every room of the house!) Every meal they send takes less than an hour, doesn't require any advanced culinary skills (or ingredients, even; they send almost everything you need), and always come out insanely good. I've had meals at highly-rated restaurants on guides like Eater that rivaled Blue Apron meals we cooked. I still love going out to eat and, by default, will do that. But I don't mind cooking anymore. Sometimes I even enjoy it. That's a huge 360 from where I was five years ago. Sorry if this reads like an ad; I promise it isn't.
dzhiurgis 3y ago
I think in US and JP it’s cheaper than cooking yourself

r00fus 3y ago

Your examples seem very individual sized. For a family it makes a lot more sense to occasionally DoorDash if you simply don’t have the time or energy to cook or even take the family out. It’s expensive.

nunez 3y ago

It is very nice to be able to have food magically delivered to you while you're in your pajamas winding down for the evening. Or when you're working really hard on something and getting or making food would be a distraction. Or, in the case of NYC's shadow kitchens, where you literally can't pick up the food by any other means.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

xboxnolifes 3y ago

I order food that delivers reasonably well. Don't order burgers, don't order fries, don't order things things that'll be ruined from a rough ride. Why is having Chinese delivered okay, but not other food? There are lots of dishes that follow a similar format to Chinese food that delivers well. I'm had plenty of good results from ordering Chinese, Indian, Jamaican, and certain Mexican dishes.