There’s something about the idea of someone delivering restaurant food that really does appeal to me. On those rainy, windy nights when you know you aren’t going to be able to park within three blocks of your favourite restaurant (and you didn’t book a table so will probably have a 40 minute wait when you do arrive) food delivery services are a godsend, you can stay curled up in your pyjamas on the sofa and with a few clicks or taps have your favourite food brought right to your door. The big three companies delivering your food around Melbourne right now are Deliveroo, Foodora and Ubereats. We are lucky enough to live in the delivery area for all three and now we’ve given them all I try I thought I’d share my opinions (and promo codes if you’d like to try them for yourself with a bit of money off).
Deliveroo
Pros: Deliveroo is the first and probably the largest restaurant home delivery service in Melbourne, because of this, it does have a number of restaurants that are “only on Deliveroo” such as Nandos (although do check as I found several “only on Deliveroo” restaurants on both Foodora or Ubereats).
The app is nice, it’s easy to use (if a bit glitchy) and does give you the most information about the restaurants upfront. I liked how there were special offers from several restaurants, such as free wings and I was pleased I could pay by Paypal as it means I don’t even have to leave my sofa to find my bank card!
When my food arrived it was still really hot and nicely presented in a cloth bag. The driver delivery time was realistic (from when he eventually picked up my food – see below), the tracking app was reliable and the driver clearly knew the area well as he came by an indirect but quiet route (not the kind of route that would pop up on a GPS). We live on the second floor with no lift, but food was delivered too our door with a smile.
Cons: My food was late, like 35 minutes late. Now I never got to the bottom of why and I do think it was ultimately the restaurant’s fault (as once the driver picked it up it was here quickly), but Deliveroo didn’t notice until my food was already 10 minutes late (and then sent me a text telling me my food would be 10 minutes late and they would keep me updated, which they didn’t). Nor did I receive an apology or anything from Deliveroo or the restaurant. To be honest I’m not even sure they realised my food was so late, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence and was pretty annoying as we picked the restaurant because of the delivery time.
Oh, and the app is a bit glitchy when you first load it and can take ages to find restaurants.
Verdict: If they are your only choice give them a go. For me it’s not about the fact things go wrong, things always go wrong at some point, but it’s about how a company handles themselves. Deliveroo on this occasion let themselves down and didn’t really give me any reason to bother trying them in the future.
Code: If you are a new Deliveroo user and want to try it you can use the following code to get $20 off your first order: susanr2896
Ubereats
Pros: They have a good choice of restaurant. They offer different restaurants to Deliveroo and Foodora and definitely have more snack, street food and takeaway style options which also made them a more affordable choice. As they deliver by car they can bring you food from further afield too so you aren’t restricted to the same local restaurants. The driver was pleasant and apologised for being a couple of minutes late (did you hear that Deliveroo?) even though he was still well within the delivery time given.
When it was working (more on this later) the app was quite easy to use and the tracker was really accurate. You are given a good amount of information upfront about the restaurants and a range of time for how long your delivery will take – expect nearer the maximum.
Cons: My food was lukewarm at best when it arrived. Luckily, it was something we could pop in the microwave to easily heat up but still, I would have expected it to be transported in something to keep it warm, not just in a paper bag in the back of the car.
The app and website are both unreliable, constantly crashed and took us over 20 minutes to order two simple things. There wasn’t enough information about the food either, for example “Chicken Katsu Curry” with a photo of it with rice, but no explanation anywhere if it did in fact come with rice or had to be ordered separately. Push notifications didn’t work either, and I had to keep closing the app and reopening it to get an update on my order. Minimum delivery times also seem to be underestimated (once you deducted the travel time, it allowed something like 8 minutes for my order to be received and made). I also didn’t like how the website demanded my card details straight away when I logged in rather than once I’d ordered my food.
The driver rang me and I had to go and collect my food from the car which was around the corner. Now I don’t know if that’s normal or if it’s just because parking can be a bit rubbish where I live, however, running up and down two flights of stairs and halfway down the street didn’t exactly match with my idea of staying warm and cosy on the sofa. Also, not very environmentally friendly as all orders are delivered by car.
Verdict: The choice of restaurants is great and food did turn up when it was meant to. Now I know my food might be cold I’d probably order from somewhere more close by if I were to order again (although that does seem to defeat the point of them being in a car). All in all the experience seemed more effort than if I’d just phoned the restaurant ordered the food and drove to pick it up myself.
Code: If you are new to Ubereats and want to try it you can use the following code to get $10 off your first order: eats-susanr9977ue
Foodora
Pros: By far my favourite of the three. The app is easy to use, there’s good clear information about the food, it’s easy to order, the tracker refreshes itself and it never ever crashed (basically, it just works the way it should).
Foodora seem to focus on quality rather than quantity and it pays off. I liked them so much I’ve ordered from them several times now, and every time my food is on time, hot and well presented. Staff are friendly and always bring the food up to our door. I also like how it’s often delivered by bike so it’s environmentally friendly too.
Cons: There’s a smaller choice of restaurants than the other two and they do tend to be better quality restaurants therefore ordering from here will work out more expensive (although you are getting better quality food, so that old adage: you get what you pay for, may apply).
They don’t offer any deals with restaurants (So no “free wings”) but I have had emails offering me discounts off my next order. The app also doesn’t tell you as much about the restaurants up front, you need to click on them to find out information about pricing.
Verdict: This will be my go to deliver service from now on. Without a doubt they offer the best service and experience from start to finish. I’d like to see them add more restaurants in my area but that’s just because I’m greedy and I’d take their great service over more choice any day.
Code: If you are a new Foodora user and want to try it you can use the following code to get $10 off your first order: UTnPxGS0ey
Do you agree? Please share your experiences below as I’d love to know what you think and if I should consider giving Deliveroo or Ubereats another go?