It’s that time: your stomach begins to rumble but you don’t want to leave your “office” in your “work outfit” since you’re that comfortable. But online ordering can be such a hassle, since there are numerous delivery services to order from all claiming they are “best.” How do you know which one is specifically the best to order from? This article will break down each food delivery service the Boston area offers, as well as some gems that each service offers:

Doordash

Described on their about page as a company that “connects people with the best in their cities,” Doordash looks to live up to this statement to an extent. With 18 different kind of food options that you can choose from, ranging from fast food to vegan and thai, there is no doubt that Doordash satisfies your any food craving you’re desiring.

But what seems to haunt Doordash is the ratings it gets in terms of customer service. When I was looking at reviews from Reviews.io about Doordash, all I saw were one-star reviews that referenced how bad their customer service was, how their drivers were not on time and the list goes on. Granted the reviews are from across the United States, it shows that Doordash can at some times be unreliable in terms of its service.

Yet what separates Doordash from most of its competitors is the fact that there is no delivery fee for what you buy. ZERO! This means that I can get my large iced Dunkin’ coffee for the same price of walking into the store and ordering it in person. Granted my coffee craving may have to wait an extra 20 minutes or so, but the free delivery makes up for it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Uber Eats

When Uber announced in 2014 that it would be launching UberFresh (now Uber Eats), its mission was to “make eating well effortless at anytime, for anyone,” there was much speculation that the company was going to replicate the success it got from its sister company, but not everything is ‘perfect the second time’ as the saying goes.

First of all, can we talk about how amazing Uber Eats' menu is! With 13 different food options on its homepage, there is no doubt that anything you are looking for will be located within these categories. Cannot find what you’re looking for? Simply look up in the search bar and you’re bound to find what you’re craving for.

Unlike Doordash, you have to pay a delivery fee ranging from $.49 to $4.49 depending on where you order from. From a broke college students perspective (like myself), you are now at an ultimatum: do I get the main entree and the side and swallow the delivery fee OR get the main entree and use the remaining money towards the delivery fee (and be hungry later)? Tough decisions…

Like Doordash (and the other food delivery services in this industry), Uber Eats is full of mixed views, with g2 and its positive reviews about how great the delivery service is to Trustpilot and Reviews.io about how bad the customer service is and how food arrived cold. If I was served cold food, there is no doubt that I would write a bad review and never order from the place ever.

Rating:⭐️⭐️

Grubhub

Rounding out the big three is Grubhub. While I have friends tell me how great the food was and service was, some of my family members who have used this delivery service tell me otherwise. As someone who has not used a delivery service for his food (crazy, right), I’ll refrain from using familial experiences in this review, as I want to give you my thoughts only. Anyways, enough of me. Let me tell you more about what Grubhub has to offer.

Compared to Uber Eats and Doordash, Grubhub has the most diverse food selection. While offering the ordinary food options, Grubhub goes above and beyond with options like Cuban, Brazilian and even Latin American food. To be honest, I’ve never had Latin American food before, but now that I know Grubhub delivers from places like Jugos, I’m going to have to try some. In my opinion, this is a win in my books.

While Grubhub looks to not offer free delivery when you use the free version, if you sign up for Grubhub+, you can get free delivery— plus more. Only $9.99, Grubhub+ offers free delivery on orders that are $12+, a free pickup meal that worth $10 and access to exclusive member perks. For those who like to order out frequently, I would think about signing up for this program, while for those who use delivery services once in a while it’s not worth the money.

While I was impressed by the variety of food Grubhub offered, what took me by surprise the most was the fact that there you could read the reviews from people who ordered from the same place you ordered/plan to order from. While Uber Eats and Doordash showed how reviews from their restaurants, you couldn't actually read what people had to say about the food they ordered. But on Grubhub, you can actually see genuine comments from people who explain what they got for food. Poor or not, at least I don’t have to search on Google for reviews.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Caviar

This is interesting because this is the first time I’ve heard of this delivery service but while doing some investigation into Caviar, I learned that it was first owned by Square (and now owned by Doordash), which is already a plus for me because it was one of the only delivery services that offers free delivery service. Now knowing that Caviar and Doordash are the same companies, I’ll try not to write the same review like I did earlier, but I’m looking to set the bar higher for Doordashs’ brother company.

Right away, I was disappointed in the fact that the homepage of Caviar was identical to what is shown on Doordash. While this is so miniscule, I thought that Caviar’s homepage would be drastically different than of Doordash. Maybe a little more flair, aesthetically pleasing, something to tell the difference of ordering on Caviar and Doordash rather than two versions of Doordash? On a lighter note, I appreciate the fact that Caviar has a more diverse selection of dining options than what Doordash had to offer. While having as many options as Doordash does, Caviar looks to provide the outside-the-box options that make you think ‘I want that.’ I mean seriously, if I was hungry and came across the Mediterranean option, there is no doubt I would order this kind of food (falafels anyone?)

Like its brother, Caviar also provides no delivery fee when ordering. This is extremely useful in the fact that if I want to get an extra side or a drink to help me get through the day, the free delivery allows me to do that (and more). Emphasize the free because what’s better than getting something delivered to you for no money? Nothing! I break into my happy dance when I hear or see that I’m getting anything free (you can’t see it through a computer screen but I’m dancing).

Yet anything free always has its complications and like Doordash, the reviews for Caviars seem to expose this. On its Facebook page, it is obvious that not many people were not happy with how food was delivered — whether later than anticipated, cold or missing parts of the order — and/or how poor the customer service was. Reading these comments, I was upset with Caviar’s service. Granted these reviews vary from various locations across the United States, but reading some of these made me change what I thought about Caviar when I started writing this review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What delivery service do Bostonians believe is the best in Boston?

After breaking down my thoughts about the delivery services provided by our Twitter poll, let’s see what everyone said: