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Food delivery has been happening for many decades, if not longer, and the price for delivery as a percentage of the overall cost has never been higher. Why has

Food delivery has been happening for many decades, if not longer, and the price for delivery as a percentage of the overall cost has never been higher. Why has it become so much less efficient recently?

sorenk 3y ago
Food delivery used to be done mainly by employees of each restaurant. Not every restaurant offered delivery and the delivery area was usually limited to a few miles.
ethbr1 3y ago
VC money dried up, and lighting piles of cash on fire stopped being as cool.
- jimbokun 3y ago
  But the VC backed apps had much higher delivery charges than the old “call the restaurant” approach, even when they were being subsidized. Why was it so much more expensive?
  - ethbr1 3y ago
    They definitely didn't, at least at the beginning. You could often get $0 delivery charge, with no order minimum.
toast0 3y ago
Food delivery used to be arranged by source, and multiple orders per outing. A pizza delivery driver would usually do 3, maybe 4 orders in a run. Similar with other places, if they had enough business to justify a delivery driver. Good delivery restaurants would coordinate kitchen and drivers so neither orders nor drivers would wait long for the other. Pizza in particular is ideal for delivery, because most people want to let it sit for a bit before they eat it. Food delivery as an external service from anywhere has poor coordination. Many restauarants don't get enough orders to have a batch delivery. Many food items need to be eaten right away, so the driver needs to idle at the restaurant for best service, which kills efficiency.
- jimbokun 3y ago
  Yes, we need to go back to this. Delivery should only be available when it makes economic sense.
  - lotsoweiners 3y ago
    Why? If I want to spend an extra 20 bucks on getting McDonalds delivered at 11pm isn’t that my prerogative? I’d rather go the legit route vs having some rando on Craigslist deliver it.
- lotsoweiners 3y ago
  > Pizza in particular is ideal for delivery, because most people want to let it sit for a bit before they eat it. What kind of monsters do you know?
  - toast0 3y ago
    I guess it's just my circle of contacts, but we find it's nice when the cheese becomes more structural so the toppings don't all slide off. Ten minutes in the car is perfect.
jprete 3y ago
The only places I remember delivering food before 2000 were Chinese-food places and pizzerias. Other restaurants didn't even do takeout except for fast food.
- lotsoweiners 3y ago
  I don’t ever recall seeing a restaurant in America besides the finest of dining that didn’t do takeout.
  - mattl 3y ago
    But did they deliver?

sorenk 3y ago

Food delivery used to be done mainly by employees of each restaurant. Not every restaurant offered delivery and the delivery area was usually limited to a few miles.

ethbr1 3y ago

VC money dried up, and lighting piles of cash on fire stopped being as cool.

jimbokun 3y ago
But the VC backed apps had much higher delivery charges than the old “call the restaurant” approach, even when they were being subsidized. Why was it so much more expensive?
- ethbr1 3y ago
  They definitely didn't, at least at the beginning. You could often get $0 delivery charge, with no order minimum.

toast0 3y ago

Food delivery used to be arranged by source, and multiple orders per outing. A pizza delivery driver would usually do 3, maybe 4 orders in a run. Similar with other places, if they had enough business to justify a delivery driver. Good delivery restaurants would coordinate kitchen and drivers so neither orders nor drivers would wait long for the other. Pizza in particular is ideal for delivery, because most people want to let it sit for a bit before they eat it. Food delivery as an external service from anywhere has poor coordination. Many restauarants don't get enough orders to have a batch delivery. Many food items need to be eaten right away, so the driver needs to idle at the restaurant for best service, which kills efficiency.

jimbokun 3y ago
Yes, we need to go back to this. Delivery should only be available when it makes economic sense.
- lotsoweiners 3y ago
  Why? If I want to spend an extra 20 bucks on getting McDonalds delivered at 11pm isn’t that my prerogative? I’d rather go the legit route vs having some rando on Craigslist deliver it.
lotsoweiners 3y ago
> Pizza in particular is ideal for delivery, because most people want to let it sit for a bit before they eat it. What kind of monsters do you know?
- toast0 3y ago
  I guess it's just my circle of contacts, but we find it's nice when the cheese becomes more structural so the toppings don't all slide off. Ten minutes in the car is perfect.

jprete 3y ago

The only places I remember delivering food before 2000 were Chinese-food places and pizzerias. Other restaurants didn't even do takeout except for fast food.

lotsoweiners 3y ago
I don’t ever recall seeing a restaurant in America besides the finest of dining that didn’t do takeout.
- mattl 3y ago
  But did they deliver?